Support for women in need
"Women are Africa's hope."
-Horst Köhler
Background
In Zimbabwe, too, traditional marriage is hard on women. When a man wants to marry a woman, he tells his parents that he has found a wife. One of his uncles then goes to the bride's father (family), asks for permission and negotiates with him. Such fathers often have several wives, from whom they then expect daughters as children, who they then often offer as brides at the age of 14. Depending on his profession and financial situation, the suitor pays for his future wife with cows, goats and cash. Afterwards, the bride belongs to the groom. She is now the husband's property. She cannot divorce or leave. This marital status is called lobola. The woman doesn't have much say, but she has to have children, provide food and do hard work in the fields. If she doesn't get pregnant after a year, the husband has the right to take another wife. He can even take her younger sister, if she has one, as a second wife, because he has paid the bride's father for his - supposedly - barren wife. The husband can also have several wives. If the wife flees, she loses her children to her husband. The situation is better in the cities because many couples marry civilly.
Young women are also repeatedly abused and raped by family members.
Problem
The conditions described above regarding the situation of women in rural areas are strongly culturally determined and firmly rooted in tradition. It is up to the affected communities themselves to reflect on this, to initiate meaningful and perhaps even necessary changes and, if necessary, to develop improved social models. The fact is, however, that many women suffer under the given circumstances. How to help them is the real problem.
Support through projects for Africa aid
It is important for PfAH to have a good and efficient direct support service, as is successfully practiced in Switzerland and elsewhere (e.g. women's shelters). Victims need protection in a safe environment. PfAH also helps to relieve the burden on women by improving the infrastructure, e.g. with groundwater boreholes, so that young girls and women are no longer exploited as water carriers and are therefore unable to attend public schools due to time constraints.
The aim is to create opportunities for self-help and emancipation. An important step is to provide women with better access or practical day-to-day guidance so that they can become more independent.