By Cephas Shava
The Development Agenda for Girls and Women in Africa Network (DAWA) has achieved tangible success in its fight against gender inequality and gender-based violence (GBV) in marginalized communities of rural Mwenezi district’s ward 18.
DAWA, a community-based network founded and led by girls and young women, held a dialogue and project closure meeting at Rutenga Sub-catchment area offices recently, where stakeholders and beneficiaries shared success stories.
DAWA Mwenezi District’s Project Officer, Winnet Chakandinakira, said since the project’s inception in 2024, the organization had been connecting and training adolescent girls and young women, addressing sexual and reproductive health injustices and challenging gender inequality.
The organization started with 10 girls and increased the number to 20, empowering them through projects like gardening.
“Dawa started working in the District’s ward 18 sometime last year. We had been connecting and training adolescent girls and women. We address sexual and reproductive health injustices and challenge gender inequality.
“At inception we started by training ten girls and we increased the number to 20 focusing on empowering them through giving them projects like gardening. We empower them to go and further spread the message and educate their peers in their villages,” said Chakandinakira.
Ward 18 Councilor, Tawanda Muza, praised DAWA’s programs, saying they had brought significant changes to the community, including a reduction in GBV cases. However, he expressed concern that the organization was concluding its programs when the community still needed support, particularly in poultry and gardening projects.
“We have been working very well with Dawa and since the inception, it has rolled out several programmes for our girls and women with a lot of change being noticed in the community. The programmes were of great value as evidenced by remarkable changes like the reduction in cases of gender based violence.
“It’s unfortunate that the organization is seemingly concluding its programmes when we still need their support especially in poultry and gardening projects. The two projects, if they get support will go a long way in sustaining our young girls,” said Muza.
One DAWA programme beneficiary, 30-year-old Primrose Shoko from Rutoro village, said she had made a difference in her community after receiving training from DAWA. She imparted the knowledge to other girls and women in her village, who are now using it to transform their lives.
“I was among the first group of women who were trained by Dawa and after the training ,with the assistance of the village head I managed to gather several girls, women and I imparted the knowledge I had acquired on sexual and reproductive health injustices and issues of gender inequality.
“They are now using the knowledge to transform their lives and they are all happy that they were enlightened,” said Shoko.
Zion Christian Church Kumuka Kwevakafa (ZCCK) Bishop Lyphet Matenda-Mugaviri commended DAWA for its impactful GBV educative programme. The church has taken it upon itself to cascade the gospel within its congregation, giving DAWA trainees slots during church services to educate congregants on GBV. The bishop expressed joy over the positive testimonies of families whose lives have been changed due to these sessions.
“We give thumbs-up to Dawa for spearheading one of the most impactful gender-based violence educative programme in our community. As ZCCK we have taken it upon ourselves to cascade the gospel within our church and we regularly give Dawa trainees slots during our church services to educate congregants on GBV.
“I am happy that we have recorded remarkable positive testimonies of families whose lives have been changed owing to such sessions,” said the Bishop
