When women come together

There is a popular statement that, not verbatim, refers to the idea that when you give a woman something she will definitely multiply it. This school of thought pushes the agenda on empowering women as that is a sure strategy to ensure sustainability and equity. I was part of the planning committee working on an annual event called the International multisector conference that brought women from various countries to network, collaborate and learn on various aspects that lead to development and self actualisation.

There were many speakers who spoke at length about the economic status of women in their countries and what needs to be done for female businesses to flourish. What stood up for me was the Ambassador of Nicaragua to Zimbabwe, Her Excellency Nadeska Cuthbert's speech which highlighted the great strides their nation of just about 6 million people has taken towards gender parity.

Some of the areas of equity that she highlighted are as follows:

- Women hold 50% of elected positions, including mayors and ministers. Where a man is a Minister, a woman is his deputy and vice versa, something we can learn from. This means that the numbers in Parliament are well balanced and there is an equal voice on issues that matter. In many countries, with particular focus in Zimbabwe, the males out number women and this can be argued as an unbalanced voice .Equal representation helps in having all voices on an equal footing leading to development and sustainability seeping to all spheres of influence.

- 293 women’s police stations provide dedicated support to women and children. With that, reporting of sensitive issues becomes easier. In my country ,the domestic violence desk is manned by both men and women yet the number of domestic violence cases is perpetrated on women by men. Not generalising, but this is said to have reduced the number of females reporting. However, with a situation like Nicaragua,it encourages more women to open up about any abuses going on in their lives

- Over 1.7 million microloans have empowered women entrepreneurs. This encourages women to be economically empowered and in charge of their finances. An economically empowered woman has options. It is very easy for them to leave toxic situations and build lives for themselves.

- The Zero Hunger program has supported nearly 200,000 families, enhancing nutrition and food sovereignty. Malnutrition has ravaged so many countries in the world and ensuring that the population is well fed ensures that there are no issues in terms of health in the future.

- Free education from preschool through graduate school, with women leading in higher education enrollment. Education is the doorway into the future. Nelson Mandela famously stated, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,' and so making sure women are educated is a sure way of transforming society for the present and future generations.

So all these are examples of the deliberate strides made in this South American country that can be emulated by so many countries. This twenty minutes speech changed my whole perspective of what each individual can do towards a better world.

From left: Pamela Gwanzura one of the event organisers, the Ambassador of Nicaragua to Zimbabwe and myself,Sympathy Sibanda