By Michael Gwarisa
The Minister of Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprises Department, Honorable Monica Mutsvangwa yesterday presided over the launch of Women’s Month which also coincided with the Every Stage of Woman Campaign, a programme that focuses on the reproductive stages of the woman from menstruation to menopause, from adolescents to menopause.
The Every Stage of Woman” Campaign is a Population Services Zimbabwe (PSZ) program being supported by the Embassy of Sweden in commemoration of the 2024 International Women’s Day commemoration running under the theme; “Invest in Women: Accelerate progress.”
Supporting adolescents during menstruation with menstrual health education and support with sanitary ware to menopause which includes counselling on menopause are some of the major objectives of the Every Stage Campaign.
Officiating at the launch, Honorable Mutsvangwa said there was still a huge gap in gender budgeting and Campaigns such as the Every Stage of Woman campaign were critical in spotlighting some of these issues.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day celebrations resonates with the challenges that women face in achieving gender equality in a world where there is a staggering 320 billion deficit in spending on gender,” said Senator Mutsvangwa.
She added that there is a need for intentional gender transformative reforms to ensure inclusive societies. UN Women reports that 75 million people are living in extreme poverty and this spillover could potentially lead to 324 million women and girls living below the poverty datum line by 2030.
She added the objectives of the Every Stage of Woman Campaign were relevant as it brought out some of the neglected health issues affecting women from adolescence into adulthood.
“Implementing gender response financing and healthcare was essential to building and empowering women. Investing in women and accelerating progress as austerity measures more often than not have been seen to hurt women. With this background of challenges facing women in today’s world, there is a need for the disclosure and conversation focusing on the various stages women go through from adolescence to matriarchy with an effort to invest in women and accelerate progress.”
The “Every Stage of Woman” Campaign as presented by PSZ empowers, educates and reassures women throughout the various stages of womanhood. It also empowers women by celebrating how amazing they are throughout their lives. The campaign also educates women about body changes throughout the stages of womanhood, which body changes are normal, which aren’t & why and reassures women of the support they will receive across their wellness at any stage of womanhood from menstruation to menopause.
Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Honorable Sleiman Timios Kwidini applauded PSZ for complementing government in areas of SRHR and gender transformative services.
“Under the coordination and guidance of the Ministry of Health and Child Care, PSZ has been implementing the “Scaling Up Access to Comprehensive Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights for Women and Girls in Zimbabwe.” The project is being funded by the Swedish Embassy,” said Honourable Kwidini.
He added that the government appreciates the partnership between PSZ and the Embassy of Sweden as it complements the Ministry of Health’s efforts in healthcare delivery.
PSZ Country Director, Pester Siraha said the reproductive stages of a woman have numerous challenges that need to be faced head-on.
“Combined with the wonderful theme for this year’s Women’s Day, we are saying let’s also combine with the Every Stage of Woman. Let’s not forget this woman during this women’s month. Remember the woman from menstruation to menopause,” She said.
She added that there are so many challenges which women face. As soon as they start their menstruation cycle, some of them might be menstrual health challenges and as you move along, towards the end of the cycle the menopause stage shows up and women throughout that stage women face more challenges.
Ambassador of Sweden to Zimbabwe, His Excellency, Per Lingard said, “The Swedish Government is committed to contributing to the development of gender equality worldwide. We have made progress over time but we still have a long way to go before we can reach gender equality, also in Sweden.”
He further recognised the Government of Zimbabwe’s openness, and strong commitment to addressing issues that affect Women’s well-being. He also said Sweden has 24 projects addressing gender inequalities through an ongoing development cooperation in Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, Janean Davis, the USAID Zimbabwe Mission Director said, “We all know that women can accelerate progress. Throughout history, women and girls have shattered barriers and paved the way for progress. From advocating for equal rights and access to education to leading ground-breaking innovations in science, technology the arts, women have continually proven their unwavering commitment to excellence.”
She highlighted some of the work USAID is doing to advance women’s empowerment and capacity development in Zimbabwean women. In 2023, USAID supported 15,000 women in investments in farm machinery, livestock, seeds, and water infrastructure. This helped increase their productivity and income. Over a million young women have benefited from the United States government’s DREAMS program.
