Apostolic Church Women Conference tackles gender inequality and equity

By Tendai Chisiri

Johane Masowe Chishanu Nyenyedzinomwe Apostolic Church of the Whole World’s 3rd Women Conference highlighted the need for advancement of gender equality and equity amongst previously marginalised women within their society at Dombwe Community Hall in Msengezi on Sunday.

The three day annual conference was held under the theme ” What is love, About love and I Love you ” and Council for Churches in Africa (CCA) representatives graced the event. The 3rd annual event was held at the church’s shrine from Friday to Sunday and on Sunday, the closing ceremony was held at Dombwe Community Hall.

In a speech read on behalf of CCA chaplain general A Chirume by CCA prophetes Faith Sibanda-Moyo, she said as women they appreciate the great work done by the church in tackling gender inequality and equity.

She said as women, they call on various groups to uphold religious tolerance and co-existence as a priority. In that process, they will be complementing government’s initiatives towards creating a conducive environment for all. That is zero tolerance to gender discrimination through mainstreaming, equality and equity.

“As women we really appreciate the strides which the churches have made so far in addressing gender inequality and equity especially amongst apostolic, zion , among other indigenous churches all over Africa. In particular, the Council for Churches in Africa (CCA) has shown keen interests in furthering women quest for advancement of gender equality and equity amongst previously marginalised women within our society. We really appreciate such a noble cause by the CCA and its stance in supporting the government’s efforts to address gender issues”, Sibanda-Moyo said.

“As women in churches, we should strive to preach peace, equality and equity amongst our congregants. We should set a good example in societies which we are serving by engaging in both peace building and peacemaking initiatives. We should engage in local sustainable conflict resolution processes for peace to prevail. For Africa to realise any meaningful development, women should accommodate everyone and bring all stakeholders to the founding norms, values and principles of Ubuntu. In the spirit of Ubuntu, several conflicts would be resolved amicably”, she said.

“As women, we should be peace ambassadors and it should only be achieved through fellowship. Let us accomodate constructive criticism in our churches and learn to develop from our previous mistakes. We should therefore leave noone and no place behind”, she added.

“Meanwhile , following the recent anti-sanctions day commemorations, women in churches should join Zimbabwe and other African countries in the call for the removal of the sanctions which have choked the country for more than two decades thereby retards development and crippling church-related businesses”, she said.

She appealed to everyone with resources to look after all the less privileged members of their societies through mobilising and donating sanitary ware, food, amongst other needs.

Women exhibited some of the products they make as entrepreneurs and there was also a modelling show.

Johane Masowe Chishanu Nyenyedzinomwe Apostolic Church of the Whole World founder and leader Herbet Thabo Senda christened Madzibaba Enoch told the gathering at the hall that the conference should be declare that as a church there is no need of domestic violence.

“In our culture, people believe that if you beat a wife, you are a man. In this modern world as men we need to say sorry to our wives”, Madzibaba Enoch said.In an interview, Madzibaba Enoch said said their church started in 1942 and is found in Zimbabwe amd outside the country.

He pointed out that as a church they saw the need for the women to be empowered through various projects and also do modelling to conscientise the women on the need to be clean and hygienic for their husbands.

” We saw it that church is a dynamic institution as it changes with time so the calling we are given by God differs with the messengers sent by God. As a church we saw that women are mostly oppressed in terms of discrimination even if they are empowered in homes as they can do other activities to generate income.” he said.

” Many marriages have collapsed due to the fact that husbands are not able to feed their family and the wives would not be having a source of livelihood. So we saw this challenge mainly in church because the church has the highest number of women who come with such issues. So we saw it better to empower women through projects like making detergents for example jik that is household bleach, pine gel and dish washer”, he added.

Madzibaba Enoch said modelling carried in their church is on the need to conscientise women to be clean and hygienic so they are appreciated by their husbands and the marriages stand.

Madzibaba Enoch’s wife Mitchell Munyanyi or Mai Senda was greatful for the event which she said women at the conference were taught on various issues to bond the love in homes.
” We were talking about empowering women so that as house wives we must not be idle in our homes. We must do something like projects in poultry, making detergents for the women not to be ilde”, said Mai Senda.

” We taught each other and were against gender based violence and domestic violence. Our theme this year was What is love, About love and I love you, so our theme was teaching us about love in our matrimony houses, to be submissive to our husbands and our husbands to understand us as their wives”, she added.

Regina Mhodzi who was the convener at the event was helpful to the women. “I saw that all angles were covered whereby women were urged in their positions as wifes to not only look for good things when they get into marriage but shiuld accept everything amd be a problem solver. So when women get into marriage, they expect men as that is expected by the culture as the ones who are responsible for everything. Now that in the era we are in, there is a lot that has changed, noone has to be blamed for these changes but the changes have been tabled before us”, she said.

” So the way forward, women should accept it that we are now helpers of our husbands financially. When we have accepted this, this should not he accepted by force, but we must appreciate that all we are doing in helping our man thus promoting live”, she added.

Johane Masowe Chishanu Nyenyedzinomwe Apostolic Church of the Whole World organizing secretary Theresa Chitova said they learned about child marriages which is a social ill that cause the spread of HIV and AIDS and also exacerbates gender based violence or domestic violence.

“We are discouraging young girls from entering marriages because of disease that are there like like HIV and AIDS and also if they get into marriages at a young age, they end up being and abused and it would be domestic violence”, she said.

” We want our children to go to school and be self-sufficient so that they would be empowered women to avoid incidents like gender based violence or domestic violence. A person should be self-reliant amd not only wait for the husband to provide” she added.

CCA vice-president and minister of religion Dr Runyararo Kunzwekweguta said their organisation has 1000 affiliate churches with Zimbabwe having 700 churches as affiliates. The churches affiliated to their council are apostolic churches zion churches and pentecostal churches. She said at CCA, they are working tirelessly to empower the women.

” What we are doing to empower the women is to teach them practical skills so that they do entrepreneurship projects like poultry, dishwasher amd making soaps and vaseline in line with the goals set by the Government of Zimbabwe as First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa is empowering women. So as a council of churches, we are empowering women so that they can look after thier families”, she said.

She revealed that the Government of Zimbabwe through Honourable Sethembiso Nyoni who donated 6 500 day-old-chicks which they gave to their affiliates.

Many women who attended the conference from around the country said it was a success as they learnt a lot and had quality time worshipping.