Zimbabwe: Use against violence to girls
Violence against girls and women is widespread in the villages of the Mazowe district. Their financial dependence forces many women to endure insults and blows every day. Terre des Hommes and the “Musasa” organization support women and their children on their way to a self -determined life.
"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 of the Hommes partner organization Musasa helps girls and women like Chido. You can live temporarily in the shelter, are medically cared for, receive psychosocial support and legal advice. Further training offers offer you the opportunity to found your own small company. In order to prevent domestic violence, teenage pregnancies and risky abortions or forced marriages, Musasa also works with youth groups in the villages. Their members ensure that violence against girls and women is perceived as what it is: a crime that must be convicted and punished.
