Let us Keep Fighting the Problems of Swaziland
To all of you activists on the Swaziland situation, I would like to send a word of encouragement. We are facing a difficult situation where children have been left without parents. We need to work even harder because the future of the country depends on these children. We are asking all people to try what they can. It may mean adopting one or two children or just sending to school more people than you had planned to send. Even that will not be enough. We need to just keep on keeping on, if I may borrow an expression that is not Swazi. Overseers of children have to be all of us.
Gone are the days when one would only look after the child they brought to the world. These days we are asking people to learn leadership skills and regroup the society. We need to be willing to see all other people as our brothers and sisters in a way we did not before. We need to share medical supplies, the little money we earn and still do what we were doing before, taking care of the old people who live in the countryside. This means we have to learn to be united in love.
I am happy that we are registering more and more organizations. We need to all see ourselves as leaders and take initiative when there is a need to do something. There are projections that food supplies will dwindle. All this means a more efficient way of finding and sharing the little food we have.
Even finances are dwindling. The Ministry of Finance is having problems. This means there will be less money to run the country. We are fast getting to a point where our currency will be meaningless. With over 50% of our people living on next to nothing, we are facing a real crisis. As it is we are dependant on donations. We need to start looking at what we can do for ourselves. Anybody who has a piece of land needs to start a garden. Church organizations are sprouting everywhere. We hope they will feel for the poor and not just get rich from the tithes of the wealthy urban members when the poor are suffering.
Our leaders also need to help us to focus on these problems and spend less in their lives living lives in filthy opulence. It is time for all of us to tighten our belts. I know that there is a point beyond which we cannot go in tightening belts. We long reached that point, but as Africans we only reach that point when we go into the grave. The year 2010 marks the beginning of a decade of suffering for our country. We are still asking for the same things, more accountability from our leadership, a sharing of the resources in the Tibiyo fund with the rest of the nation and unbanning of political parties so that we can have a voice. As an activist, I am asking for more teaching on women's rights. We need more advocacies. We passed the laws that make women equal, but when illiteracy rates are still high such laws mean nothing. I am just writing to request that we form new resolutions in 2010 so that we can se some progress in the real areas of concern. My resolution is to read the Human Rights Charter in siSwati and start writing about it. What is your resolution? Happy Xmas and Happy New Year to all the readers of this blog.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Let us Keep Solving the Problems of Swaziland
Edit Let us Keep Fighting the Problems of Swaziland
Let us Keep Fighting the Problems of Swaziland
To all of you activists on the Swaziland situation, I would like to send a word of encouragement. We are facing a difficult situation where children have been left without parents. We need to work even harder because the future of the country depends on these children. We are asking all people to try what they can. It may mean adopting one or two children or just sending to school more people than you had planned to send. Even that will not be enough. We need to just keep on keeping on, if I may borrow an expression that is not Swazi. Overseers of children have to be all of us.
Gone are the days when one would only look after the child they brought to the world. These days we are asking people to learn leadership skills and regroup the society. We need to be willing to see all other people as our brothers and sisters in a way we did not before. We need to share medical supplies, the little money we earn and still do what we were doing before, taking care of the old people who live in the countryside. This means we have to learn to be united in love.
I am happy that we are registering more and more organizations. We need to all see ourselves as leaders and take initiative when there is a need to do something. There are projections that food supplies will dwindle. All this means a more efficient way of finding and sharing the little food we have.
Even finances are dwindling. The Ministry of Finance is having problems. This means there will be less money to run the country. We are fast getting to a point where our currency will be meaningless. With over 50% of our people living on next to nothing, we are facing a real crisis. As it is we are dependant on donations. We need to start looking at what we can do for ourselves. Anybody who has a piece of land needs to start a garden. Church organizations are sprouting everywhere. We hope they will feel for the poor and not just get rich from the tithes of the wealthy urban members when the poor are suffering.
Our leaders also need to help us to focus on these problems and spend less in their lives living lives in filthy opulence. It is time for all of us to tighten our belts. I know that there is a point beyond which we cannot go in tightenign belts. We long reached that point, but as Africans you only reach that point when you go into the grave. The year 2010 marks the beginning of a decade of suffering for our country. We are still asking for the same things, more accoutability from our leadership, a sharing of the resources in the Tibiyo fund with the rest of the nation and unbanning of political parties so that we can have a voice. As an activist, I am asking for more teaching on women's rights. We need more advocacy. We passed the laws that make women equal, but when illiteracy rates are still high such laws mean nothing. I am just writing to request that we form new resolutions in 2010 so that we can se some progress in the real areas of concern. my resolution i sto read the Human Rights Charter in siSwati and start writing about it. What is your resolution. Happy Xmas and Happy New Year to all the readers of this blog.
Let us Keep Fighting the Problems of Swaziland
To all of you activists on the Swaziland situation, I would like to send a word of encouragement. We are facing a difficult situation where children have been left without parents. We need to work even harder because the future of the country depends on these children. We are asking all people to try what they can. It may mean adopting one or two children or just sending to school more people than you had planned to send. Even that will not be enough. We need to just keep on keeping on, if I may borrow an expression that is not Swazi. Overseers of children have to be all of us.
Gone are the days when one would only look after the child they brought to the world. These days we are asking people to learn leadership skills and regroup the society. We need to be willing to see all other people as our brothers and sisters in a way we did not before. We need to share medical supplies, the little money we earn and still do what we were doing before, taking care of the old people who live in the countryside. This means we have to learn to be united in love.
I am happy that we are registering more and more organizations. We need to all see ourselves as leaders and take initiative when there is a need to do something. There are projections that food supplies will dwindle. All this means a more efficient way of finding and sharing the little food we have.
Even finances are dwindling. The Ministry of Finance is having problems. This means there will be less money to run the country. We are fast getting to a point where our currency will be meaningless. With over 50% of our people living on next to nothing, we are facing a real crisis. As it is we are dependant on donations. We need to start looking at what we can do for ourselves. Anybody who has a piece of land needs to start a garden. Church organizations are sprouting everywhere. We hope they will feel for the poor and not just get rich from the tithes of the wealthy urban members when the poor are suffering.
Our leaders also need to help us to focus on these problems and spend less in their lives living lives in filthy opulence. It is time for all of us to tighten our belts. I know that there is a point beyond which we cannot go in tightenign belts. We long reached that point, but as Africans you only reach that point when you go into the grave. The year 2010 marks the beginning of a decade of suffering for our country. We are still asking for the same things, more accoutability from our leadership, a sharing of the resources in the Tibiyo fund with the rest of the nation and unbanning of political parties so that we can have a voice. As an activist, I am asking for more teaching on women's rights. We need more advocacy. We passed the laws that make women equal, but when illiteracy rates are still high such laws mean nothing. I am just writing to request that we form new resolutions in 2010 so that we can se some progress in the real areas of concern. my resolution i sto read the Human Rights Charter in siSwati and start writing about it. What is your resolution. Happy Xmas and Happy New Year to all the readers of this blog.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Woman Power in Swaziland: A Myth or a Reality
"Swaziland has a queen mother, but how come women are so powerless?" I am quoting a question I was asked by one of my friends. She elaborated and said we have a queen mother and asked why that power does not filter down to the ordinary Swazi person. In her opinion, almost every girl experiences something close to abuse like close scrutiny and even being coaxed by men in an unwanted way. When I thought about it, I agreed with her. Swaziland has had Queen mothers since the eighteenth century, as the following table shows, yet this power does not trickle down to the ordinary people.
KING AND REIGNING QUEEN MOTHER (YEARS)
1.Ngwane II 1750-1780 *Lakubheka Mdzebele 1780-1815
2.Ndvungunye 1790-1815 *Layaka Ndwandwe
3.Sobhuza I (Somhlolo)1815-1836 *Lojiba Somnjalose Simelane 1836-18404.
4.King Mswati II 1839-1865 *Tsandzile Ndwandwe 1836 1865
5.Ludvonga 1875-1889 Tsandzile Ndwandwe 1868- 1875
Sisile Khumalo
6.Mbandzeni Tibati Nkhambule 1889-1894
7.Ngwane V (Bhunu Mahlokohla) 1890-1899 *Labotsibeni Mdluli
8.King Sobhuza II 1921-1982 Labotsibeni 1899-1921 1021-1925
*Lomawa Ndwandwe
*Nukwase Ndwandwe
Zihlathi Ndwandwe 1957-1975
Seneleleni Ndwandwe 1975?
9.King Mswati III 1986 todate Dzeliwe Shongwe (a)1982-1983
(b) (1982-1985)
* Ntombi Tfwala todate
From this table it is clear that all the women marked with a star were queen mothers and also heads of state. Why then did this power not permeate the society so that women gain power? The answer lies in power that is created within a patriarchal system that has an ideology that does not uphold women. These women fought very hard to keep the country going. Sisile was even killed. It is when we look at the issues of women closely that we can come up with a conclusion on whether Swazi women have power or not. The structuring of the society is deceptive because it gives an impression that women have power. The story on the ground is different. Women suffer abuses from different anges.
I remembered times when men would even clutch your breast or your bottom when they felt like humiliating you. I even remember a very awkward story where I was walking down a street and a man talked to me. I was very adamant that I would not give in to his coaxing. He said something that even shocks me even today. He said as he walked away disappointed, "uzudvwale kantsi unamnandenuka." I was so schocked by how vulgar the metaphor was. I was amazed by how creative the langauge was and how insolent and deprecating the statement was. I have always held back from telling people this story. The fact that it happened near the most learned places in Swaziland even shocked me more. It reminded me that there was a lot of work that women had to do to teach society that there is a need for people to learn to respect women.
I am writing this in order to focus the debate on the issues of women in Swaziland. We have a queen mother, yes, but the power does not filter down to the ordinary person. Women rarely get promotions at work. They do most of the work in the family. These and many other issues need to be addressed by all the people of Swaziland. The rate at which domestic violence has escalated in the past decades also needs to be addressed. The need to educate women and give them a space where they can talk is even more needed with the HIV/AIDS pandemic that is plaguing the society.
I also do not have solutions for these problems, but I am just opening a site where we can talk about the fact that women in Swaziland are in need of support systems, starting in the family to schools and almost any other space where they are found. Swaziland women work very hard. They are at the market selling vegetables and fruits to support their families. They do all kinds of work, but nothing is done to make their plight better. The question is what can be done? What are other people doing? We need to come up with ways to answer these questions. If you would like to begin answering these questions, let me hear from you in your comments. If we do not answer these questions we will be showing some indifference to the status of women even when we can see that something could be done.
Become an enthusiast of women's and girls' issues and change the world. Go to: www.girleffect.org
Signed: Sarah Mkhonza
KING AND REIGNING QUEEN MOTHER (YEARS)
1.Ngwane II 1750-1780 *Lakubheka Mdzebele 1780-1815
2.Ndvungunye 1790-1815 *Layaka Ndwandwe
3.Sobhuza I (Somhlolo)1815-1836 *Lojiba Somnjalose Simelane 1836-18404.
4.King Mswati II 1839-1865 *Tsandzile Ndwandwe 1836 1865
5.Ludvonga 1875-1889 Tsandzile Ndwandwe 1868- 1875
Sisile Khumalo
6.Mbandzeni Tibati Nkhambule 1889-1894
7.Ngwane V (Bhunu Mahlokohla) 1890-1899 *Labotsibeni Mdluli
8.King Sobhuza II 1921-1982 Labotsibeni 1899-1921 1021-1925
*Lomawa Ndwandwe
*Nukwase Ndwandwe
Zihlathi Ndwandwe 1957-1975
Seneleleni Ndwandwe 1975?
9.King Mswati III 1986 todate Dzeliwe Shongwe (a)1982-1983
(b) (1982-1985)
* Ntombi Tfwala todate
From this table it is clear that all the women marked with a star were queen mothers and also heads of state. Why then did this power not permeate the society so that women gain power? The answer lies in power that is created within a patriarchal system that has an ideology that does not uphold women. These women fought very hard to keep the country going. Sisile was even killed. It is when we look at the issues of women closely that we can come up with a conclusion on whether Swazi women have power or not. The structuring of the society is deceptive because it gives an impression that women have power. The story on the ground is different. Women suffer abuses from different anges.
I remembered times when men would even clutch your breast or your bottom when they felt like humiliating you. I even remember a very awkward story where I was walking down a street and a man talked to me. I was very adamant that I would not give in to his coaxing. He said something that even shocks me even today. He said as he walked away disappointed, "uzudvwale kantsi unamnandenuka." I was so schocked by how vulgar the metaphor was. I was amazed by how creative the langauge was and how insolent and deprecating the statement was. I have always held back from telling people this story. The fact that it happened near the most learned places in Swaziland even shocked me more. It reminded me that there was a lot of work that women had to do to teach society that there is a need for people to learn to respect women.
I am writing this in order to focus the debate on the issues of women in Swaziland. We have a queen mother, yes, but the power does not filter down to the ordinary person. Women rarely get promotions at work. They do most of the work in the family. These and many other issues need to be addressed by all the people of Swaziland. The rate at which domestic violence has escalated in the past decades also needs to be addressed. The need to educate women and give them a space where they can talk is even more needed with the HIV/AIDS pandemic that is plaguing the society.
I also do not have solutions for these problems, but I am just opening a site where we can talk about the fact that women in Swaziland are in need of support systems, starting in the family to schools and almost any other space where they are found. Swaziland women work very hard. They are at the market selling vegetables and fruits to support their families. They do all kinds of work, but nothing is done to make their plight better. The question is what can be done? What are other people doing? We need to come up with ways to answer these questions. If you would like to begin answering these questions, let me hear from you in your comments. If we do not answer these questions we will be showing some indifference to the status of women even when we can see that something could be done.
Become an enthusiast of women's and girls' issues and change the world. Go to: www.girleffect.org
Signed: Sarah Mkhonza
Short Fiction Showcase: "Tell Me A Lowveld Story for a Story of the Seas"
(Excerpt)
The lowveld sky was blue. The mountains in the distance stood out against the blue sky as if they were imposing themselves, like a greatness that stands forever looking at you. The trees make long shadows that they cast beyond our yard on the northern side of our homestead in the late afternoon. I could see the heat haze in the noontime sun when I got up from my work. I just had one chore to do for the day; prepare for the evening meal. I was washing a three-legged pot, scraping the dark soot from its bottom with a metallic scourer. After rinsing the pot I held it with its legs and threw out the water. Its legs hit the ground with a metallic thud when I put it down. I picked it up and raised its handle and struggled with it to the kitchen. It was too heavy for an eight-year-old, and as I felt it cut my hand, I said to myself, “this is hard work.” I leaned on the door of the kitchen and pulled it in and struggled to put it on the fire. I looked at my hand. It was red, where the handle of the pot had cut into it. I took the water that stood in the corner and poured it into the pot. I watched as its cleanliness settled inside and then pushed the wood together and bent down to fan the fire with my mouth. The red embers glowed and the ash went in all directions. There were ants on one of the pieces of wood. They scattered in all directions when they felt the heat. I stood up, straightened my dress, and wiped my knees.
Read the rest here
Short Fiction showcase: "Eyes Are Moving"
Excerpt
I met Bingo at the railway station in the early seventies. Even as kids we played together. Everybody knew Bingo’s father had come from Lesotho. That is why we called him “Ntate.” Even now, after five years of marriage I still call him Ntate. He still looks as he did years ago.
We used to play at Bingo’s home when we were young. They had all kinds of playthings. Ntate had built them a swing with the tire of an old car. Throughout my early teens I enjoyed this kind of play. We also played in our cardboard box village which we had built just below the pig sty. It is here that I knitted hats with wooden sticks and put them on our wooden dolls. We used to put heaps of cardboard and slide down the slope that was near the rhubarb plants. I remember reading a piece of paper about the first heart transplant that had been performed on one Phillip Bleiberg. Even though the newspaper was old, I read this news as if it was new. I was sitting on bricks near our cardboard house, holding the paper with my right hand. It is here and on this day that Bingo gave me the look that sparked what would become the love affair of the century in Kadake.
Read the rest here
Monday, September 28, 2009
TOWARDS A CONSTITUTION OF THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
CONSTITUTION OF THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
We launch this organization in honor of women who have died because of domestic violence such as Sheana Khumalo and many others. Some women have been maimed and seem to have been forgotten. We will in time make a quilt to celebrate all the women who died. If you would like to join us, please send your comments
PREAMBLE
We the women of Swaziland and supporters of women’s issues allover the world, realizing the need among ourselves for carrying out the mission of supporting women’s work in the fight against HIV/AIDS, poverty, child support, domestic violence, child abuse and helping HIV/AIDS orphans have decided to get together and form an organization that will address the issues of women living in Swaziland and all over the world.
ARTICLE 1: NAME
The name of the organization shall be the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
ARTICLE 2: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
The purpose of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND is to enable women of Swaziland to meet, raise funds, and discuss and do work to combat HIV/AIDS, poverty, child support, domestic violence, child abuse and help HIV/AIDS orphans under
under the following objectives:
To empower Swaziland women through workshops
To discuss issues on domestic violence
To work among orphans of those who are sick or have died because of HIV/AIDS
To fundraise for causes of domestic violence, child abuse and HIV/AIDS
To educate women about self confidence and assertiveness
ARTICLE 3: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.
a) Membership shall be open to anybody who is a Swazi or a person who is interested in issues of women in Swaziland
b) associate membership shall be open to men and women who are interested in the
Section 2: Membership fees:
a)active members shall pay an initial joining feel of R10.00. This fee is not refundable.
b) Members who join after the first two years shall pay a non refundable fee of R 30.00
ARTICLE 4; OFFICES AND DUTIES
Section 1: The President
a) Shall be the chief executive officer of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
b) Shall when present, preside over all meetings and executive meetings WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
c) Shall be one of the principal signatories of all financial transactions of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
d) Shall, in consultation with the executive Committee, make appointments to special and ad hoc committees and sub-committees created by action of the executive committee or general assembly.
e) Shall perform all public relations activities relating to the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
Section 2: The Secretary General
a) Shall keep the minutes of both general and executive meetings, and be present at meetings of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
b) Shall be responsible for the correspondence of the organization. She/he shall obtain and integrate all report and correspondence from office bearers, reports and correspondence from office bearers pertaining to the functioning of the organization.
c) Shall perform the duties of the President in his/her absence
Section 3 The Treasurer
a) Shall be the principal accounting officer in charge of books of accounts and accounting records of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND. In this capacity, he/she shall present to the General Assembly a financial report to the Incoming executive
b) Shall be responsible for the management of the organization’s financial and material resources.
c) Shall be one of the principal signatories of all transaction of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
Section 4. The Executive
The executive committee shall be made up of three office bearers, vis. The President, Secretary General, and Treasurer.
b) The executive committee shall carry out the mandates of the membership of the organization.
Section 5.
a) Each and every officer bearer shall prepare a type-written report at the end of his/her term of office or upon resignation
b) The reports and other documents, together with all property of in his or her possession, must be submitted to the newly elected executive committee.
All executive members shall be expected to perform duties of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND assigned to them by the General assembly. Upon resignation, a member shall be required to submit a written letter specifying her reasons for such action.
We launch this organization in honor of women who have died because of domestic violence such as Sheana Khumalo and many others. Some women have been maimed and seem to have been forgotten. We will in time make a quilt to celebrate all the women who died. If you would like to join us, please send your comments
PREAMBLE
We the women of Swaziland and supporters of women’s issues allover the world, realizing the need among ourselves for carrying out the mission of supporting women’s work in the fight against HIV/AIDS, poverty, child support, domestic violence, child abuse and helping HIV/AIDS orphans have decided to get together and form an organization that will address the issues of women living in Swaziland and all over the world.
ARTICLE 1: NAME
The name of the organization shall be the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
ARTICLE 2: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
The purpose of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND is to enable women of Swaziland to meet, raise funds, and discuss and do work to combat HIV/AIDS, poverty, child support, domestic violence, child abuse and help HIV/AIDS orphans under
under the following objectives:
To empower Swaziland women through workshops
To discuss issues on domestic violence
To work among orphans of those who are sick or have died because of HIV/AIDS
To fundraise for causes of domestic violence, child abuse and HIV/AIDS
To educate women about self confidence and assertiveness
ARTICLE 3: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.
a) Membership shall be open to anybody who is a Swazi or a person who is interested in issues of women in Swaziland
b) associate membership shall be open to men and women who are interested in the
Section 2: Membership fees:
a)active members shall pay an initial joining feel of R10.00. This fee is not refundable.
b) Members who join after the first two years shall pay a non refundable fee of R 30.00
ARTICLE 4; OFFICES AND DUTIES
Section 1: The President
a) Shall be the chief executive officer of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
b) Shall when present, preside over all meetings and executive meetings WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
c) Shall be one of the principal signatories of all financial transactions of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
d) Shall, in consultation with the executive Committee, make appointments to special and ad hoc committees and sub-committees created by action of the executive committee or general assembly.
e) Shall perform all public relations activities relating to the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
Section 2: The Secretary General
a) Shall keep the minutes of both general and executive meetings, and be present at meetings of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
b) Shall be responsible for the correspondence of the organization. She/he shall obtain and integrate all report and correspondence from office bearers, reports and correspondence from office bearers pertaining to the functioning of the organization.
c) Shall perform the duties of the President in his/her absence
Section 3 The Treasurer
a) Shall be the principal accounting officer in charge of books of accounts and accounting records of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND. In this capacity, he/she shall present to the General Assembly a financial report to the Incoming executive
b) Shall be responsible for the management of the organization’s financial and material resources.
c) Shall be one of the principal signatories of all transaction of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
Section 4. The Executive
The executive committee shall be made up of three office bearers, vis. The President, Secretary General, and Treasurer.
b) The executive committee shall carry out the mandates of the membership of the organization.
Section 5.
a) Each and every officer bearer shall prepare a type-written report at the end of his/her term of office or upon resignation
b) The reports and other documents, together with all property of in his or her possession, must be submitted to the newly elected executive committee.
All executive members shall be expected to perform duties of the WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND assigned to them by the General assembly. Upon resignation, a member shall be required to submit a written letter specifying her reasons for such action.
Friday, September 25, 2009
LAUNCHING THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT OF SWAZILAND
The difficulties that women face in Swaziland are many. Among these are poverty, domestic violence, child support and HIV/AIDS. It has come to my notice that we need to create a space where we can discuss ways towards getting women to come together and share ideas on how to go about fighting these evils. I grew up in Swaziland and saw a lot of poverty. Somehow hearing about the women of Ebuseleni made me think about future prospects of encouraging women to keep up the good work. Lisa Grossman has been working with these women. When we started talking we realized that more needs to be done to help women to stand up and fight even harder. I want to bring to the attention of Swazis the name of Make Nomsa Masuku of Ebuseleni, who has worked hard to start a care-point for children whose parents have passed away. It is Lisa Grossman who told me about this brave Swazi woman. It is women who stand up that are helping us see the prospects of a revolution of women in Swaziland.
Swaziland women have always worked hard, raising children by themselves and going to work in the most difficult jobs such as selling vegetables, growing crops like cotton and going across the border to sell handicrafts or buy wares to sell. I commend this hard work because it has seen most of our children through school. We need to support women by helping them to organize and have a structure through which they can request more help from government, NGOs and overseas donors.
We need to work together to understand what exactly to focus our struggle for the emancipation of women on. The ability to lead is there as we see in such women as Ntombi Nkosi, and Siphiwe Hlophe who have gone out to take care of our orphans and spoken out against the injustices that take place in the country. I want to keep us focused on learning more from women who are dreamers like these so that we can imagine how to get an organization going.
How can we start a grassroots women’s organization and make it work? At the moment, with the problems of HIV/AIDS, we need to focus on this problem because as the people who give birth to people, we cannot let the future generation go without education, food and clothes. These basic needs need to be met, and this has to happen soon. We need to rope in men who are there to help, by getting them to educate other men about looking after the future of society, and that this begins with the children. Many men are involved in these issues. We just need to change the idea that the problem of the children is a problem for women only. Our men are capable of doing better than they are doing now. They need to pay child support. Government also needs to be strict about this.
Anybody who wants to think with me on these issues is free to begin writing and share ideas on how this can be done. I am open to whatever ideas we may come up with. I would like Swazi women who are progressive to consider joing us and starting an organization and coming together and creating a space where we can put ideas together on how to structure such an organization.
It is important to focus on doing our best, being motivated and staying positive when we go out to serve people. We need to be clear on giving to our people because they are working hard. It means anybody who wishes to come on board has to agree to be hard working and do practical things to help. If you have ideas on how this can be done, let us hear your ideas. I await your aspirations for the future of a Swaziland Women’s Organization.
Swaziland women have always worked hard, raising children by themselves and going to work in the most difficult jobs such as selling vegetables, growing crops like cotton and going across the border to sell handicrafts or buy wares to sell. I commend this hard work because it has seen most of our children through school. We need to support women by helping them to organize and have a structure through which they can request more help from government, NGOs and overseas donors.
We need to work together to understand what exactly to focus our struggle for the emancipation of women on. The ability to lead is there as we see in such women as Ntombi Nkosi, and Siphiwe Hlophe who have gone out to take care of our orphans and spoken out against the injustices that take place in the country. I want to keep us focused on learning more from women who are dreamers like these so that we can imagine how to get an organization going.
How can we start a grassroots women’s organization and make it work? At the moment, with the problems of HIV/AIDS, we need to focus on this problem because as the people who give birth to people, we cannot let the future generation go without education, food and clothes. These basic needs need to be met, and this has to happen soon. We need to rope in men who are there to help, by getting them to educate other men about looking after the future of society, and that this begins with the children. Many men are involved in these issues. We just need to change the idea that the problem of the children is a problem for women only. Our men are capable of doing better than they are doing now. They need to pay child support. Government also needs to be strict about this.
Anybody who wants to think with me on these issues is free to begin writing and share ideas on how this can be done. I am open to whatever ideas we may come up with. I would like Swazi women who are progressive to consider joing us and starting an organization and coming together and creating a space where we can put ideas together on how to structure such an organization.
It is important to focus on doing our best, being motivated and staying positive when we go out to serve people. We need to be clear on giving to our people because they are working hard. It means anybody who wishes to come on board has to agree to be hard working and do practical things to help. If you have ideas on how this can be done, let us hear your ideas. I await your aspirations for the future of a Swaziland Women’s Organization.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
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