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| Davidzo Muhwandavaka |
Blessed Chauke
More men from across the country have received more government assistance during the Covid-19 induced lockdowns than women, a recent Afrobarometer survey has revealed.
The survey indicated that only 43percent women received Covid-19 assistance compared to 51 percent men who were part of the survey.
Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZICEA) Masvingo territory deputy president Davidzo Muhwandavaka said her organisation ended up assisting some women with food hampers as they could not access the government social grants.
“Since only a few women from our organisation received social grants from the government we ended up putting together some food hampers for those who did not receive anything.
“Those of us in the informal sector are struggling to put food on the table and we expect government to assist us. The government is doing nothing to capacitate us to sustain our families,” Muhwandavaka said.
Another Mucheke woman who spoke on condition of anonymity told TellZim News that she heard that some women who are pensioners saw the allowances on their pension slips but for those who are not receiving government pensions, they did not receive anything.
“Those who were not formally employed did not receive anything when their age mates whose circumstances are actually better received the government grants.
“Identifying those women then became difficult because already their circumstances made it worse, as they were now prone to corruption and lack of information even if they registered,” said the woman.
Women Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) Masvingo chapter coordinator Belinda Mwale said women had to depend on donor funds as they did not receive any grant from government.
“We had to rely solely on donor funds because the government grants did not materialise,” said Mwale.
Centre for Gender and Community Development in Zimbabwe (CGCDZ) operations manager Chidaushe Mudadi said the government must be gender sensitive when allocating the resources.
“The government must prioritise and must be gender sensitive towards allocation of the resources especially these of Covid-19. The effects which are being faced by men from Covid-19 are also affecting women too,” said Mudadi.
Information from the Afrobarometer also shows that supporters from the political opposition parties are slightly more likely to have gone without Covid-19 assistance than those close to the ruling party.
