The Sunday Mail
Desire Ncube Religion Writer
UNITED Methodist Church will today partner Government departments, civic groups and legal experts in belated commemorations to celebrate the International Women’s Day at St Dorcas in Dzivarasekwa Circuit.
The church has joined hands with the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Shamwari yeMwanasikana, Musasa Project, Padare Men’s forum on Gender and Safaids.
Minister of Women Affairs Gender and Community Development, Nyasha Chikwinya, Harare Metropolitan Province Minister, Miriam Chikukwa and Dzivarasekwa Member of Parliament, Omega Hungwe are expected to grace the event.
Also expected to deliver a presentation at the event is University of Zimbabwe Gender, HIV and Phenomenology of Religion specialist, Professor Ezra Chitando.
Running under the 2017 International Women’s Day theme #BeBoldForChange the event will start in the morning.
Event organiser, Reverend Taurai Maforo said the gathering will provide women, girls and even men opportunities to interface with various civic, legal and government departments.
“As a church we feel it is indeed our responsibility to ensure that we compliment Government efforts that are aimed at emancipating and empowering women.
“We appreciate the fact that in Zimbabwe women are critical in the attainment of the four ZimAsset clusters; Food security and Nutrition, Social services, Poverty Eradication, Infrastructure and Utilities and Value Addition and Beneficiation.
“As the UMC specifically as a denomination, we have what we call our social principles where we look at nurturing communities in various spheres of life.
“And within those social principles we look at the lives of disadvantaged communities considering that a church is a place where everybody is welcome.
“It is our responsibilities to empower women and girls. But particularly for this event we are not leaving man outside,” he said.
Rev Maforo added, “We have run crusades on girl child empowerment programs but we also feel that sometimes we are not creating a good balance because as much as it is good to empower girls but without doing the same to boys, we will not get a balanced community.
“Hence on this program, man will also take part.
‘‘This explains why we decided to do it on a Sunday, we want the participation of everyone,” he said.
Rev Maforo added that they invited organisations like “Padare Men’s Forum to speak on how men can do away with violent behaviours especially against women.
“Legal experts will also be present and they will talk about inheritance issues and several other disputes that emanate within families and in communities,” he said.
On the theme #BeBoldForChange, Rev Maforo said it is high time African societies take a bold stance in opposing traditional practices that might disadvantage others.
“Some say, tradition is second nature but if one’s nature is disadvantaging or affecting other people, effort to reform it should be made so that all human beings live in harmony,” said Rev Maforo.
