Browsing by Author "Tshuma, N"

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    Microfinance and Women Empowerment in Zimbabwe: A case of Women Development Fund in Umguza district
    (2014) Selomea, J.; Tshuma, N
    The gender dimension of poverty focuses on the dilemma of women, their numerous roles as women and their role in dealing with poverty. In many developing countries, women are discriminated upon in terms of their access to capital means of production; basic needs support, employment opportunities and access to credit facilities. In Zimbabwe, like in many developing countries, empowering women through micro-credit finance is viewed as a means of reducing women poverty, empowering them, reducing their vulnerability and improving their well-being especially in the rural areas. This paper discusses the role of the government of Zimbabwe in empowering rural women through the introduction Women Development Fund (WDF). The study was carried out in Umguza district in Matabeleland North province of Zimbabwe. The study employed mainly purposive sampling and data was collected using questionnaire, key informant interviews, focus group discussion observation and oral history. Research revealed that WDF as a strategy has made a difference in the livelihoods of the recipients through initiation of income generating projects. However the major handicap with WDF is that the amount of money given are small and that it was employed in isolate hence the need to have complementary initiatives such as capacity building, market networking among others.
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    Participation of Women in Zimbabwean Politics and the Mirage of Gender Equity
    (2015) Maphosa, M; Tshuma, N; Maviza, G
    Zimbabwe has signed and ratified a number of regional and international instruments that call for gender equality in various spheres of life. However, in spite of the existence of these supportive instruments, the country has not fared well in advancing the participation of women in politics. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Gender and Development barometer reveals that whilst women participation in politics is still below agreed benchmarks, Zimbabwe’s citizens seem to believe the country is doing well in that regard. This article argues that the discrepancy between the perceived and actual realities in relation to the participation of women in politics is not by accident but is founded on a systemic and calculated maneuver by politically dominant males to open up the political space when necessary and convenient for them. We argue, drawing examples from different political players, that the participation of women in politics has been more of manipulation than a genuine attempt to promote gender equality and equity. The article argues that whilst there have been some moves to bring about parity in numeric terms, there is a glass ceiling for women in terms of how far they can go up the political ladder. It is in this vein that we hypothesize that women have been sold a political dummy where through a raft of cosmetic measures they have been given an impression that they are equals in governance yet on the other hand recent political developments reveal that gender equity in governance remains a mirage for them