GEF6 project ‘Zambezi valley Biodiversity Project (ZVBP)’ by UNDP and SAFIRE has promoted gender equality by empowering women through introducing peanut butter project and all processing machines in Hurungwe. In recent years the frequency of occurrence of droughts and floods has increased in the Zambezi Valley. An increase in the frequency of extreme events negatively impact on livelihoods, especially those classified as poor, mainly by reducing livelihood options.
Due to limited livelihood options, these areas resulted in reduced capacity of communities to recover from disasters thereby leaving communities with no option rather than overexploitation of natural resources such as wildlife, forestry and land in trying to cope with the disasters. The project also tried to reduce Gender Based Violence exacerbated by financial problems which was a serious problem in the community. GBV is a uniquely global scourge, a manifestation of the deep societal norms that drive gender inequality, it affects people in all corners of the globe, in every country and in every society. At the same time, recent years have also seen a great rise in momentum in the global effort to address GBV in all its overt and most insidious forms.
One of the aims of ZVBP was to provide financial freedom by creating income-generating activities for women. They do this by running business and entrepreneurship training and giving women the know-how and skills they need to set up their own business. The adoption of Agenda 2030: the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 has provided a critical focus and an international framework to address all facets of gender equality, with SDG 5 outlining a series of targets related specifically to gender. Crucially, Agenda 2030 invokes a very holistic understanding of gender inequality, its causes and implications. The Agenda recognises gender equality not only as a fundamental human right but a ‘necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world’1. With particular focus on GEF6 Zambezi Valley Biodiversity Project by UNDP and SAFIRE ZIM this article will explain in detail how a group of fearless women in Hurungwe Ward… are working to put an end to violence against women and girls through selling of peanut butter.