The Covid 19 pandemic brought intense pain in so many people’s lives. Some lost their loved ones, others jobs and sources of income and for some lockdown periods left them exposed to their abusers. But it was not all doom and gloom all the time as it gave others an opportunity to flourish. For some women in rural Zhombe, Midlands Province, Covid 19 induced lockdowns were a time to draw from their inner strength and thrive.
Patience Sibangani, 47 a mother of 3 of St. Pauls Zhombe testifies of the fear that gripped her when she initially heard about the Covid 19 virus. “When we first heard about Covid 19 we were so scared we didn’t know if we were going to survive. But to be honest, I never came across anyone with the Covid 19 virus, I just heard people talking about it. At church we were encouraged to steam, steaming became a routine for us as a family. I think this really helped us even as a community,” she said.
She said that in her immediate community, none got the virus but there were people, dead bodies coming in from South Africa of people who died from the Covid 19 virus. The number of bodies made Covid 19 real for them, they realised it was not just social media rumours.
Her husband, a Builder by profession was not able to work much because of the Covid 19 lockdowns. Building contracts were few and far in between, taking care of the family became difficult.
“We had 15 cows and decided to sell 5 of our cows and we bought a maize grinding mill. We realised that no matter what happened people will always want to eat and our services would constantly be in demand. With proceeds from that I resolved to invest in a poultry project.
I started off with 50 roadrunners and 20 Bosch chicks. During the same time I also started keeping goats. Right now I have 30 goats and my desire is to have Boer goats as well. That’s how we changed our fortunes,” she said.
Patience said the lockdowns gave her a much needed push to aim for a better lifestyle; to achieve more out of life.
In the same vein, it brought her closer to her husband.
“His job was such that he regularly had to be away from home. But because of travel restrictions he spent more time at home, we were able to be together more. For us it was more like the honeymoon phase all over again, getting to know each other again. The time together was good for our marriage,” she said.
Jerina Chineka (36) also of Zhombe under Chief Gwesela lost her closest, beloved Uncle during the peak of the pandemic in 2020. She could not even attend the funeral because of travel restrictions. “I never imagined I would go through such pain, not having the chance to mourn together with my family. It was a very trying time for us and to this day, it still affects me,” she said.
Besides the emotional toll brought on by the virus, Jerina also had to deal with the economic trials. “I had the added responsibility of taking care of some of my extended family during lockdown. They lost their jobs and i had to step in and take care of everyone. It was a very hard time for me financially,” she said.
Jerina keenly points out although it was a taxing time, the whole experience taught her to be more self-reliant. A hair dresser by profession, she understood that she had to kick it up a notch and explore other avenues of making an income.
She intensified her efforts in her hairdressing business, getting more clients as some people left their city homes and went to their rural homes. Covid 19 cases were less in rural places than the city, rural hoes became an escape for them much to Jerina’s advantage as she got more clients.
To add to her income, she is now into buying and selling clothes and other consumables.
Things are working well for her, she is able to pay school fees for her son and overall, life seems so much better for her now than before.
Anna Moyo and a group of 10 her friends have invested in a money club, locally referred to us “mukando”. Money clubs are trusted options for women who want accountability and friendship as they save up for special purchases. In these clubs, women contribute equal amounts of money on a revolving basis. They allow members to borrow with interest and after a specified time, the total amount is shared allowing members to start individual businesses. According to a 2017 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee survey, 13 percent of all Zimbabwean homes have one household member who is part of a savings group.
For Anna, mukando has transformed her life.
“I have managed to build a toilet block at my homestead, my children going to school without any trouble. I also have a successful poultry project that I’m running. This would never have been possible if I hadn’t taken a chance in investing in this club with my fellow sisters,” said Anna.