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ABOUT TAKUNDA
The Takunda activity is funded by The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and executed by CARE Zimbabwe in collaboration with six partners, operates in the drought-prone areas of Buhera, Mutare, Zaka, and Chivi districts of Zimbabwe. The aim of the project is to increase sustainable, equitable and resilient food, nutrition and income security for vulnerable households and communities in Manicaland and Masvingo Provinces.
Takunda directly responds to the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition, with activities under three purpose areas seeking to increase incomes from onfarm, off-farm, and non-farm livelihoods activities (Purpose 1); improve the nutritional status of children under five years of age, adolescent girls, and women of reproductive age (Purpose 2); and build institutional and local capacities among ultra-poor and chronically vulnerable households to cope with shocks and stressors and reduce risk (Purpose 3). Across all purpose areas, gender equality is a major cross-cutting theme that aims to re-envision harmful socio-cultural norms that perpetuates food and nutrition insecurity.
GENDER EQUALITY CONTEXT AND THE CHALLENGE TAKUNDA IS TRYING TO ADDRESS
Gender and generational inequalities among women and men, boys and girls are rooted in patriarchal, cultural, and religious values, beliefs, and practices. They manifest throughout all spheres of life, including in intrahousehold decision-making; access to and control over household and community assets; gender roles and responsibilities; participation in public decision-making; Gender-Based Violence (GBV); and access to and utilization of services. Takunda’s Gender Analysis study, including results from the follow-on Gender Outcome Mapping Baseline Study, revealed the following:
Gendered Division of Labor: Women are involved in daily routine work relating to domestic roles and household chores, while men mostly engage in productive activities that generate income. Men's involvement in family care activities only increased with the use of technology, where they may have to use the wheelbarrow or scotch cart when fetching water and firewood. In some areas, men who engaged in family and childcare activities suffered from stigma and discrimination and were labeled as weak.
Gender-Based Violence including Child Marriage: Statistics show that within urban areas, 2.1 percent of women and girls were married before the age of 15, and 21.3 percent were married before the age of 18. In rural areas, 6.4 percent were married before age 15 and 40 percent before age 18.Thus, more women in rural settings experience early marriage than their urban counterparts.
Access to and Control over Resources and Assets: About 65 percent of households in Zimbabwe are headed by males and 35 percent by females. Most women (about 86 percent) depend on land for their livelihood and food production for their families. However, they are faced with a myriad of challenges, including persistent droughts, limited start-up capital, and restricted access to and control of land for production and productivity. The other constraints include a lack of access to markets, lack of competitiveness, limited extension services, and poor access to finance and input.
Access to public spaces and services: Mobility constraints and gender roles and responsibilities for women continue to limit their participation in profitable markets across Takunda districts. Women experience challenges accessing transportation and this is associated with costs of taking their grain to the nearest depots. At times, it takes several days for the selling process to be complete, and women with young children find it difficult to be away from their children for days at a time. This forces women to resort to local markets where prices are less competitive.
Household Decision Making: The Takunda Gender Analysis findings indicate that patterns of decision-making in the home differed between women, men, boys, and girls. Husbands' decisions regarding high-value assets and large livestock often prevail over those of the wife. Women in polygamous families from apostolic and non-apostolic sects have flexibility to make decisions on land use, livelihoods, and income-generating activities (IGAs) compared to those in monogamous marriages.Young people across districts felt systematically excluded and marginalized from participating in household decision-making by the older generation because they lacked resources, citing unemployment and limited opportunities to engage in meaningful economic activities as primary reasons for their limited resources.