New project boosts empowerment of women

Women in Zambia's North-Western province are being helped with the knowledge and services to prevent HIV/AIDS through a project aimed at empowering the hardest hit population group.

Last month, the NGO Coordination Committee (NGOCC) - an umbrella body of women's organisations in the region - and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), gathered in Solwezi to open 'Bumi House'. This centre will become the base for the programme.

"Bumi means life in Tonga [a local language] and this is what we want to give women - hope and life. We are trying to address issues that are at the heart of every woman in Zambia," Mary Mulenga, executive director of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), told PlusNews.

According to Mulenga, access to accurate information was still the best way to fight the pandemic.

The programme will educate both men and women about women's rights and the options they have in preventing HIV/AIDS. Men had often been left out of HIV/AIDS and women empowerment initiatives, Mulenga noted.

"It takes two to tango. We can't leave men out, because issues such as HIV/AIDS will continue to be seen as just a woman's problem," she added.

Gender-based violence will also be addressed by the centre. "This is becoming a major problem in Zambia. We have seen an increase in the number of cases reported to our [YWCA] drop-in centres," Mulenga said.

A pilot project spearheaded by the YWCA will introduce the subject into health facilities, complemented by community-based drop-in centres. Local courts will also be sensitised to gender-based violence.