Zubo Trust, UN empower Binga women

02 Aug, 2015 - 03:08 0 Views

The Sunday News

Lungile Tshuma Sunday News Correspondent
A NON-PROFIT making organisation in Binga, Zubo Trust, in co-operation with the United Nations in Zimbabwe, recently empowered women in Binga by turning them into big players in the male-dominated sector of fish farming, a development which has led to each of them getting an average of $80 profit per month up from $10 which they used to realise during the same period.

The women have gained the knowledge and skills to manage their kapenta rig and increase their income.
UN Women deputy representative, Ms Revai Makanje Aalbaek said it was impressive to witness that the women’s average monthly income has significantly increased
“They used to sell fish at Siachilaba Fish Market where the monthly average profit was between $10 to $15. At the end of February 2015 alone, the members realised a profit of $2 600,” Ms Makanje Aalbaek said.

The women came together and registered as Bindawuko Banakazi Kapenta Fishing Co-operative Society Limited under the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development.

Zubo Trust communications and development officer Michito Mudimba said through this economic empowerment, women are now sharing responsibilities with their husbands.
“The fish farming project is an upscale of the kapenta fishing that the women have been engaged in since 2011. The kapenta project started with 10 direct beneficiaries and had 600 indirect beneficiaries initially. The fish farming has been running since 2013. Capacity building has so far directly benefited 1 070 women in the six wards of Zubo’s operational areas. A total of 3 500 indirect beneficiaries have been reached so far and these include both men and women in Zubo’s operational wards,” she said.

She also added that the construction of fish ponds by the women directly contributes to the Zim Asset cluster on infrastructure development.
She expressed satisfaction at the transformative work that the women, with the support from UN Women, had managed to achieve and encouraged them to keep expanding the fishpond infrastructure development project.

The UN Women Fund for Gender Equality project’s overall aim is to turn the harbour into a fishing industry for the rural women from Siachilaba and Simatelele wards in Binga District.

Prior to this project, women fishers used to sell dried fish by the roadside at Siachilaba Fish Market.

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