Organisation empowers sex workers

GWERU – Local Civic Society Organisation Ebenezer Women Social Entrepreneurship Trust has
trained almost 80 women most who are commercial sexual workers in soap and petroleum jelly
making.
Speaking during a Zimbabwe AIDS Network quarterly meeting Ebenezer director Florence Guzha said
they intend to have trained 100 women from Mkoba North and South contituencies by the end of
the year.
Guzha said the economic empowerment project initially targeted commercial sex workers but other
women have since joined to learn the skills.
“The project is supposed to train 100 women; 50 from Mkoba North and another 50 from Mkoba
South and so far we have trained almost 80 but they are not all sex workers, we have married
women as well,” she said.
“The essence is to make sure that all women are economically empowered.
“We have received funding and we want to continue with these people so that they are empowered
(in the case of sex workers) maybe we can remove some of them from the streets.”
Guzha said after the training programme, the women are grouped to form social clubs, which help
them raise funds.
She said her organisation also has land where they can engage in agricultural projects for self-
sustenance.
Guzha said they have also approached church leaders so that the commercial sex workers have
spiritual settlement in their lives.
“We realised that there is a lot of discrimination against commercial sex workers in church so we
have engaged pastors and their wives so that they are accommodated,” she said.
Gweru City Council is also considering rolling out projects for commercial sex workers.
Speaking during a Tellzim News discussion, recently elected Gweru City Council Ward 1 councillor
Mercy Mangwanya said commercial sex workers recently approached her as they wanted to engage
in projects.
“We have a lot of commercial sex workers in Greenvale where there is an influx of gold panners.
“Some tell us that they are in those situations because of circumstances and want projects to do,”
she said.
Mangwanya, a former village health worker said she is aware of the requirements of the commercial
sex workers.
Gweru deputy mayor Nyaradzo Madzikura said some of the commercial sex workers are teens who if
given a chance, can lead better lives.