Rural Women Taking the Lead to End Gender-Based Violence in Thyolo

Mnoniwa: CCDO has trained women’s clubs, forums, and village volunteers to become mediators and advocates for women’s rights,

Gender-based violence (GBV) and local conflicts have long affected women and girls in Thyolo district, limiting their safety, rights, and participation in economic activities.

Cultural silence, financial dependence, and weak reporting systems have allowed abuse to persist unchallenged. In response, Chipembere Community Development Organization (CCDO), with support from the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund through UN Women, launched the project Progressive Peace Building and Conflict Prevention Among Women and Youths in Rural Communities of Thyolo in September 2024.

The project empowers women and girls in five Traditional Authorities; Bvumbwe, Changata, Nchilamwera, Sub-Traditional Authority (STA) Maganiza, and STA Maggie, to take the lead in promoting peace and preventing violence in their communities.

One of the women leading this change is Alice Wilfred from the Mayi Wangwiro Women’s Group in STA Maggie. Her group uses village savings and loan platforms not just for economic support, but also as safe spaces to raise awareness about gender-based violence, human rights, and peaceful coexistence.

“In the villages, violence often includes men sexually abusing their stepdaughters and women being beaten. This was happening because many women lack jobs and depend on men for support,” Wilfred said.

She explained that the village banks have become key entry points for these conversations, as they regularly bring women together, making it easier to share information and support one another.

However, through CCDO’s efforts, Wilfred said the community is starting to change. People are now more willing to report human rights violations, something that was rare in the past.

In TA Nchilamwera, Annie Tomato, Chairperson of Chisomo Women’s Group, explained that financial control has been one of the main tools used to suppress women.

“Women in my community face domestic violence, including being stopped from doing business or finding work out of jealousy, with men insisting they stay home,” she said.

She added that most of the group’s messages are shared through village banks, where they primarily engage with women.

“Some of our mediators are also young people who help spread the message among their peers. And we are seeing progress, men are now allowing their wives to work, recognizing that women have the right to economic independence,” she said.

Takondwa Wyson, Secretary of the Ufulu group under STA Maganiza, shared how their weekly meetings with over 100 members from four village savings and loan groups initiated by Ana Paulaendo (APA) and GENET have become key platforms for discussing violence and finding solutions.

Wyson said the group addresses issues such as women facing abuse from their husbands and violence against stepchildren.

“We are now seeing a reduction in child marriages, a decline in violence by women against men, and fewer cases of abuse against women.

What’s more encouraging is that some people who are experiencing abuse are now speaking out openly something that was once taboo in our communities,” she said.

Victor Mnoniwa, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at CCDO, explained the rationale behind selecting the project’s target areas.

“Following a recommendation from the Thyolo District Executive Committee (DEC), which identified these areas as hotspots for abuse against women and girls, including sexual harassment, we began training women’s clubs, forums, and volunteers.

We taught them to mediate conflicts, support survivors, and lead awareness efforts,” he said.

Wyson: We are now seeing a reduction in child marriages, a decline in violence by women against men

Tomato: Women in my community face domestic violence, including being stopped from doing business