Zimbabwe: Use against violence to girls
Violence against girls and women is widespread in the villages of Mazowe District. Their financial dependence forces many women to endure insults and beatings on a daily basis. Terre des Hommes and the organization "Musasa" support these women and their children on their path to self-determination.
"I don't like to remember my childhood. My family was very poor, my father was violent. I noticed countless times how he beat my mother," recalls the 23-year-old Chido. "I was in the sixth grade when he told me that I couldn't go to school anymore because he couldn't afford it. When I was still a teenager, my father brought a stranger home and ordered me: 'You will marry this man!' I ran away from my friend. But when I got pregnant, he let me sit.
Your support for strong children!
It was difficult to get the child through alone. So I married another man and got another child. After the marriage, he began to complain that my first child was a burden for him. He neglected and mistreated it. When I intervened, he also hit me. One day he beat me so violently that I ran away with both children. "
Fortunately, the women's organization Musasa offered a discussion group in Chido's village at that time. Chido took part and quickly germinated hope in her: "The Musasa employees reported on their work for women with experience of violence. When I listened to listening, the tears came to me: I knew that I had found people for the first time who would be ready to listen to my story and help me."
With the support of Musasa, Chido requested maintenance for her second child - and got right. She also took part in a workshop for women who conveyed her entrepreneurial foundations and encouraged her to start her own start-up.
With a start-up assistant of $ 50, she started her own bean grove. With the profit from the sale of the beans, Chido built a small house and now ensures her children independently. "I am now an independent, single mother," said Chido proudly.
Take life into your own hands
The Terre des Hommes partner organization Musasa helps girls and women like Chido. They can stay temporarily at the shelter, receive medical care, psychosocial support, and legal advice. Training opportunities offer them the chance to start their own small businesses. To prevent domestic violence, teenage pregnancies, high-risk abortions, and forced marriages from occurring in the first place, Musasa also works with youth groups in the villages. Their members ensure that violence against girls and women is recognized for what it is: a crime that must be condemned and punished.