For women in Bulawayo North district, such a situation is set to change. The Creative Centre for Communication and Development (CCCD) is empowering women and girls not only to seek, receive and impart information but also to listen and be heard, understand, learn, create and respond to issues that affect their lives.
Recently, CCCD facilitated a 21-day training programme that targeted 18 women and girls who are disadvantaged. The training which took place three times a week started on January 21 and ended on March 6. Its goal was to produce relevant content for women, by women, in a language they can understand and in formats they can easily access for the purpose of advocacy aimed at advancing their rights.
The technology skills transfer programme empowered women and girls to tell personal stories using a computer, Free and Open Source Software, an audio recorder and digital camera.
The training took place in a conducive environment where each woman chose to share her personal story of hope, pain, survival or courage. Of the 18 women and girls who were trained, eight chose to share their digital stories publicly. The stories ranged from abuse, HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancies, forced marriages, unemployment to alcohol abuse. Sharing of these personal stories was therapeutic for the women and girls. By end of the training, they regarded each other as a pillar of support.
After the roller-coaster training, the women felt confident to share their personal stories with the entire community when the community commemorated the International Women’s Day on March 08.
