The Sunday News
Thembekile Ntuliki, Sunday News Reporter
A 43-year-old woman from Famona Suburb in Bulawayo is inviting partners for the We Are Phenomenal Trust Organisation (WAPT), which helps empower less privileged women.
Ms Sarudzai Nyandoro, the founder of the organisation said the vision of helping young women started in 2013 while she was in South Africa.
“I would help a few ladies and children with the help of my Pentecostal church mates which gave me a bigger stand, but it was not enough and I decided to take the project back home in 2018 and gain more exposure,” said Ms Nyandoro.
She said she wanted to create a safe space for young girls and coach them to stand for themselves.
“I tried to share my vision with a lot of people and I was encouraged to run for a council seat as an independent candidate for Ward 5 in the same year.
“It was a great start, I got to know challenges women go through in that area and I did not face any victimisation that people talk about and I believe people should actually take part and see for themselves than depending on the hearsay.
“That is where I got the exposure I wanted for my organisation, to me it was not about winning the seat but winning the community and to engage with different organisations.”
She said the organisation has engaged with different stakeholders in helping the girl child and offering leadership skills including Women Action Group and Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe.
“We have been supporting street girls and women with sanitary pads, only for now because we do not have partners.
“It has been hard and we need people who are willing to work in partnership with us, and just a little donation can change someone’s life,” she said.
Ms Nyandoro said they have managed to approach the Scriptures Union and they have a feeding scheme for the less priviledged on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
She said they have trained about 40 men on domestic violence, who were given tips on ways to deal with anger and also educated them on sexual issues.
