The government has been urged to relook into the Women’s Microfinance Bank’s mandate to ensure rural women are not left out on financial inclusivity programs.
Since its inception a few months ago, the bank has not helped marginalized women who continue to struggle to access loan facilities due to lack or improper collateral.
Speaking at a two day National Symposium On Gender Equality and the Human Rights Of Women In Zimbabwe, Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe said although the country has instituted a broad range of initiatives to strengthen the achievements of women’s economic rights, the women’s bank still has a lot of shortfalls as it leaves out rural women.
“The women’s bank remains on the initiatives (to empower women) but it falls short of the needs of the women especially rural women who have no collateral and I think there is need to rethink on the collateral because most rural women do not own anything.
“If they own chickens obviously banks will not accept that as collateral. So there is a need to look at women can be assisted,” said Mukahanana-Sangarwe.
She, however, emphasized that the bank should not only be there to give women money but should be an institution to empower them.
“It should have a section that trains women on how to do business and how to come up with business proposals before giving them money. So I think there is a missing link that the issue of collateral and also the training aspect should be attached to the bank so that when they give money they give to people who are going to do businesses,” she noted.
Zimbabwe is amongst the many countries in Southern Africa that have embraced the concept of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
However, Mukahanana-Sangarwe said, the promotion of economic rights, including access to employment, control over resources, the elimination of occupational discrimination and segregation is central to the achievements of gender equality and realization of women’s rights.
The two-day workshop is being organized by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law through its various partners and is running under the theme “Gender Equality and the Human Rights of Women”
