“There was so much conflict in my home.” 
Shillar lives in the north of Zimbabwe. Education was difficult for her to access as a child. So as an adult, she struggled to build a livelihood for herself and her children. That was before she attended a series of ‘Building Bridges’ workshops run by Envision. They helped her secure income-generating loans to start her new vending business:
“As a woman and a mother, I have been uplifted because I no longer have to keep asking my husband for money.”
Due to the success of her business, Shillar has been able to fund the drilling of a borehole – providing her family and community with accessible, clean water. This has also allowed her to expand her business into fresh produce vending:
“I am now a source of respect in my community … This knowledge that I have is not just for me. I desire to see continued knowledge in the community as we feed off each other and our successes and grow as a community.”
Plaxedes is another woman who has benefited from support, education and loans through this programme. She shares how evident the positive impact has been on not only her life, but women and girls across the community:
“We have been assisted with the conflict training programmes…Peace Committee members who now mediate amongst us when there are disagreements in homes or the community…you now find that husbands are more respectful of their wives. There is a noted change around that aspect. The community is now more sociable towards one another.”
We are proud to be working with Envision Zimbabwe Women’s Trust this year to support Women Peace Champions in rural Zimbabwe. Join our efforts to end violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe around the world with a donation today.
