VOICES & EXPERIENCE OF WAR-

WIDOWS IN MUREWA, ZIMBABWE

Progress Report
October 2008

Modester Chengahomwe
Rozaria Memorial Trust & Isis-WICCE Project
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

BACKGROUND

GOALS

OBJECTIVES

REASEARCH STATEMENT

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

SELECT WOMEN STORIES

KEY FINDINGS

NEXT STEPS
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

 Rozaria Memorial Trust Board, volunteers and staff for

supporting the research

Isis-WICCE for the financial support and training guidance.

 
The widows and women of Murewa district and especially in
Magaya village who generously participated in the study
and shared their painful life histories.
 
The research team that include Mr. Kuda Dizha, Ms. Hilda
Mugaragumbo, Mrs Elizabeth Taonezvi, Mrs. Nyaradzai
Gumbonzvanda, and Mr Ndoro. Indeed we are grateful for
the worthy effort.
 
Modester Chengahomwe
Chief Researcher, RMT
 MODESTER’S PROFILE (RESEARCHER)

Rozaria Memorial Trust Board

Member

Teacher by Profession with

Diploma in Education

Currently studying for BA in

Education

Ex-political detainee during

war of liberation in Zimbabwe

Promotes the empowerment

of women and girls education
Zimbabwe In Brief
Population is almost 13 million, with 51% women

It is current experience serious economic problems,

with high levels of poverty

Recent political violence affected women and their

children

No real functioning government, schools and hospitals

not functioning.

There was a ban on operations of NGOs for almost 8

months, in 2008 and therefore we could not conduct
the research.

High levels of HIV and AIDS, with over 25 %

prevalence.
 Murewa: Background
Information
Murewa District 78km from Harare, in
Mashonaland Central

Estimate Population of Murewa in 2002 was

almost 9,000.

Focusing on war widows and their situation 28

years after independence

There is a food and humanitarian crisis in

Zimbabwe facing mostly women and children

HIV and AIDS and orphan care problems, due

to economic and political crisis

Widows have limited access to important

Photo Credit: ZWAAPV, Murewa
assets and property such as land
 PROJECT GOALS

To document information on the experiences of liberation

war widows; record their experiences and voices for

history and identify some recommendations and future

actions for assisting the widows to improve their lives

 Project Objectives
Give visibility and voice to the liberation war widows
whose stories and contribution is not recorded

Understand the current situation of these widows and

their families

Map out and identify ways and means of assisting them

and the orphans

Identify areas for advocacy and support to widows and

ways of recognition of their contribution
 Why Focus on Widows?
Ordinarily, although some documentation is done covering situations of armed
conflict, very little or nothing is done to capture women’s contribution in the post-
conflict transitional process and above all, most of the human rights abuses they
suffer from during the conflict go unnoticed.
 
This lack of documentation when the guns go silent is to a large extent to blame
for the fact that women’s issues are hardly ever incorporated into the
reconstruction and rehabilitation plans and policies.
 
Very little is documented to acknowledge their contribution in family upkeep after
the death of their husbands from war. They are striving to continue sustaining their
families with basic needs. It is important to emphasis their contribution in order to
build their confidence so that they regain their ability as key actors in community
development
Research Methods
Literature Review about
women and War in Zimbabwe

Questionnaire Survey

Interviews with individual

Women
– interviews were not possible
because of the government ban
on NGOs
– Any organised group meetings
were viewed as political

We are still collecting the data

for full analysis, and report
writing
 Select Women Stories
Serepia, 61 years

 Was married and had six children

 She and her husband were early political activists

in 1964

 In late 70s her husband disappeared, for 15

years, running away from the Rhodesian soldiers

 He came back in the 90s, and died at home

 Serepia’s 3 children died of AIDS leaving her to

care for 11 orphans

 She remains active in politics

Chipo, 58 years old

 She fled with her sisters and mother, during the

peak of the war, when people were put in protected
villages (IDP camps)
 Arrived in Murewa and as an under-age girl married
her late husband Radhi.
 They had 4 children
 Husband was imprisoned and for almost 10 years
she was alone with the children
 At independence husband was so traumatised and
did not come home, but looked for piece jobs in
mining towns
 He died traumatised, and she was left with the
children and 3 cows
 Chipo tells the story of double loss and pain, with a
heart and voice full of anger
 She looks after her children and grand children
 Naume, 45 years
 In 1978, she was only 17 years and a
newly wed

 There was the famous battle of Marumisa

were the rhodesian soldiers raided the
who village, burnt houses

 Many people died including Naume’s

husband

 She was left with one child

 She keeps poultry to earn a living

 Lonely and committed in love, she never

re-married

 Naume is a staunch Christian

Spiwe, 55
 She was pregnant in 1976 when her husband
joined the liberation struggle

 For 5 years, she was lonely, anxious and

hoping

 She had given birth to triplets

 At independence the husband did not come

home

 She was informed in 1986, that he had died

in the battle front

 In poverty, she wonders what independence

and freedom means to her and her children
 Preliminary Findings
 Widowhood during the war period did not mean that
one’s husband is actually dead. It includes
disappearances, and long absence from home

 War widows experienced different types of trauma, pain

and loss that is very personal

 Widows who are in middle age now were young women

and girls, who also survived abuse and exploitation

 Widows were left to protect themselves and care for

their children
 Findings ….(continued)

 With advent of HIV and AIDS, most of the war widows

are also caring for AIDS orphans

 Most of these widows are enterprising and do small

projects to earn and income

 The current political and economic situation is making

the situation very very difficult for widows in rural
Zimbabwe

 The post war recovery plan did not bring any materials
or direct benefit to the widows
RMT Partner and Collaborating
Organisations
 Zimbabwe Women Against HIV and AIDS,
Poverty and Violence (ZWAAPV), Murewa

 Zimbabwe Community Health Initiative

(ZICHIRE), Murewa

 Zimbabwe Women’s Coalition

 Southern Africa AIDS Initiative

 African Women and Child Features

 Ministry of Gender, Murewa Office

 Catholic Parish Murewa

 Next Steps
 Finalise data analysis from interviews and questionnaires
 Hold a feedback workshop and community dialogue with
widows
 Hold a briefing session with other stakeholders at Murewa
District level
 Finalise the report
 Disseminate the report
 Use the findings and recommendations to support
 community based actions to support the widows and orphans
 For advocacy work with government and other actors on an end to
political violence and support for healing and recovery of Zimbabwe
Tatenda…Thank You!!