8 March 2024 – As the world marks International Women’s Day on March 8th, the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) and Sonke Gender Justice have partnered to promote women’s empowerment across the continent. Underscoring their commitment to drive gender equality at the local level, AUDA-NEPAD and Sonke Gender Justice visited the Masiphephe Network in Diepkloof, Soweto.
Under the theme ‘’Invest in Women: Accelerate progress”, International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to commemorate women’s achievements and reflect on persistent challenges in ending all forms of gender bias and discrimination. The partnership between AUDA-NEPAD and Sonke aims to drive sustainable change and gender equality by empowering women in local communities and ensuring their voices are heard in decision-making processes. By joining forces, AUDA-NEPAD and Sonke will work together to provide women with access to training, resources and opportunities to enhance their skills and capabilities.
‘’Our partnership with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA- NEPAD) will help us to identify holistic gender equality solutions at the community level, thus accelerating progress to empower women economically. We believe this can spark change for a transition towards a healthier, rights-based, safer, and more gender equitable world for all, in the communities we work in,’’ said Dumisani Rebombo, Community Education and Mobilisation Provincial Manager. “We are delighted to meet the women who are being financially and economically empowered by Sonke Gender Justice at the community level. This aligns with AUDA-NEPAD’s commitment to the African Union Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion (WYFEI 2030) initiative and contributes to building stronger families and local communities. Empowered women are known to reinvest up to 90% of their earnings in their families and communities, thereby being a key force in driving local economic development and inclusive growth ,”said Jessica Annor, Head of Youth, Gender and Women’s Empowerment Unit.
During the visit, the delegation engaged with some of the beneficiaries of the Zazi club, a subsidiary of the Masiphephe Network, who shared their success stories of how economic empowerment activities became a pathway to gender based violence prevention. One of them is Rosina Makgoba, “attending most of the trainings assisted me to revive my businesses as a seamstress and Author, and I have been able to impart this knowledge to my immediate community with a sharper focus to young boys’ and girls’’, she concludes.
