{"id":5416,"date":"2022-08-01T20:18:13","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T20:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gracamacheltrust.org\/?p=5416"},"modified":"2022-08-01T20:18:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T20:18:13","slug":"unpacking-the-impact-of-covid-19-reports-from-zimbabwe-and-uganda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/womens-economic-and-social-advancement-highlight\/unpacking-the-impact-of-covid-19-reports-from-zimbabwe-and-uganda\/","title":{"rendered":"Unpacking The Impact of COVID-19 reports from Zimbabwe and Uganda"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/interactive.unwomen.org\/multimedia\/explainer\/covid19\/en\/index.html\">UN Women Report<\/a> on the impact of COVID-19, it not only had a profound shock on our societies and economies, but the pandemic also underscored society\u2019s reliance on women, exposed structural inequalities across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection. Additionally, it showed that when resources are strained and institutional capacity is limited, women and girls face disproportionate impacts, and hard-fought gains for women\u2019s rights are also under threat.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Closer home, the Gra\u00e7a Machel Trust women networks in Zimbabwe and Uganda had convenings to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on women-led businesses, female representation on Covid-19 response and Economic Recovery, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Zimbabwe chapter consisting mainly of members from New Faces New Voices(NFNV) and The Network for African Business Women (NABW) chapter, held their meeting on June 28<sup>th<\/sup> at the Cresta Jameson Hotel Harare. In attendance were Charity Mandishona, NABW Board Member, Dr Hesphina Rukato \u2013 NABW, Zimbabwe Chairperson (Host), Dorothy Mavhiri &#8211; NFNV Country Director, Zimbabwe, Mrs Clarah Mukosera- Head Retail Banking, Zimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank (ZWMB), Dr Shungu Gwarinda, Executive Director, CAMFED Zimbabwe, Mrs Colleta Muzulu- Principal Arts and Culture Officer, Ministry of Youth Sport and Culture and Mrs Julia Mapungwana &#8211; Director Programme Management, Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-5416 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a data-rel=\"iLightbox[postimages]\" data-title=\"New Faces New Voices Country Director Dorothy Mavhiri\" data-caption=\"New Faces New Voices Country Director Dorothy Mavhiri\" href='https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/womens-economic-and-social-advancement-highlight\/unpacking-the-impact-of-covid-19-reports-from-zimbabwe-and-uganda\/attachment\/new-faces-new-voices-country-director-dorothy-mavhiri\/'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"846\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-846x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large lazyload\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-5417\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27897%27%20height%3D%271086%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20897%201086%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27897%27%20height%3D%271086%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" title=\"New Faces New Voices Country Director Dorothy Mavhiri\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-846x1024.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-200x242.jpg 200w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-248x300.jpg 248w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-400x484.jpg 400w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-500x605.jpg 500w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-600x726.jpg 600w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-700x847.jpg 700w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-768x930.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-800x969.jpg 800w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri-846x1024.jpg 846w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/New-Faces-New-Voices-Country-Director-Dorothy-Mavhiri.jpg 897w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-5417'>\n\t\t\t\tNew Faces New Voices Country Director Dorothy Mavhiri\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a data-rel=\"iLightbox[postimages]\" data-title=\"Zimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank, Head Retail Banking Mrs Clarah Mukosera says COVID-19 brought some positives for women who got sewing machines to make protective masks.\" data-caption=\"Zimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank, Head Retail Banking Mrs Clarah Mukosera shares how COVID-19 brought some positives for women who got sewing machines to make protective masks.\" href='https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/womens-economic-and-social-advancement-highlight\/unpacking-the-impact-of-covid-19-reports-from-zimbabwe-and-uganda\/attachment\/zimbabwe-women-microfinance-bank-head-retail-banking-mrs-clarah-mukosera-says-covid-19-brought-some-positives-for-women-who-got-sewing-machines-to-make-protective-masks\/'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"719\" height=\"672\" src=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Zimbabwe-Women-Microfinance-Bank-Head-Retail-Banking-Mrs-Clarah-Mukosera-says-COVID-19-brought-some-positives-for-women-who-got-sewing-machines-to-make-protective-masks.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large lazyload\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-5418\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27719%27%20height%3D%27672%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20719%20672%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27719%27%20height%3D%27672%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" title=\"Zimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank, Head Retail Banking Mrs Clarah Mukosera shares how COVID-19 brought some positives for women who got sewing machines to make protective masks.\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Zimbabwe-Women-Microfinance-Bank-Head-Retail-Banking-Mrs-Clarah-Mukosera-says-COVID-19-brought-some-positives-for-women-who-got-sewing-machines-to-make-protective-masks.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Zimbabwe-Women-Microfinance-Bank-Head-Retail-Banking-Mrs-Clarah-Mukosera-says-COVID-19-brought-some-positives-for-women-who-got-sewing-machines-to-make-protective-masks-200x187.jpg 200w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Zimbabwe-Women-Microfinance-Bank-Head-Retail-Banking-Mrs-Clarah-Mukosera-says-COVID-19-brought-some-positives-for-women-who-got-sewing-machines-to-make-protective-masks-300x280.jpg 300w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Zimbabwe-Women-Microfinance-Bank-Head-Retail-Banking-Mrs-Clarah-Mukosera-says-COVID-19-brought-some-positives-for-women-who-got-sewing-machines-to-make-protective-masks-400x374.jpg 400w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Zimbabwe-Women-Microfinance-Bank-Head-Retail-Banking-Mrs-Clarah-Mukosera-says-COVID-19-brought-some-positives-for-women-who-got-sewing-machines-to-make-protective-masks-500x467.jpg 500w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Zimbabwe-Women-Microfinance-Bank-Head-Retail-Banking-Mrs-Clarah-Mukosera-says-COVID-19-brought-some-positives-for-women-who-got-sewing-machines-to-make-protective-masks-600x561.jpg 600w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Zimbabwe-Women-Microfinance-Bank-Head-Retail-Banking-Mrs-Clarah-Mukosera-says-COVID-19-brought-some-positives-for-women-who-got-sewing-machines-to-make-protective-masks-700x654.jpg 700w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Zimbabwe-Women-Microfinance-Bank-Head-Retail-Banking-Mrs-Clarah-Mukosera-says-COVID-19-brought-some-positives-for-women-who-got-sewing-machines-to-make-protective-masks.jpg 719w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-5418'>\n\t\t\t\tZimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank, Head Retail Banking Mrs Clarah Mukosera shares how COVID-19 brought some positives for women who got sewing machines to make protective masks.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a data-rel=\"iLightbox[postimages]\" data-title=\"Dr Shungu Gwarinda\" data-caption=\"Dr Shungu Gwarinda, Executive Director, CAMFED Zimbabwe \" href='https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/womens-economic-and-social-advancement-highlight\/unpacking-the-impact-of-covid-19-reports-from-zimbabwe-and-uganda\/attachment\/dr-shungu-gwarinda-3\/'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"561\" src=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-1024x561.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large lazyload\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-5419\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271427%27%20height%3D%27782%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201427%20782%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271427%27%20height%3D%27782%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" title=\"Dr Shungu Gwarinda, Executive Director, CAMFED Zimbabwe \" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-1024x561.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-200x110.jpg 200w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-400x219.jpg 400w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-500x274.jpg 500w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-600x329.jpg 600w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-700x384.jpg 700w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-768x421.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-800x438.jpg 800w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-1024x561.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda-1200x658.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Dr-Shungu-Gwarinda.jpg 1427w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-5419'>\n\t\t\t\tDr Shungu Gwarinda, Executive Director, CAMFED Zimbabwe \n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a data-rel=\"iLightbox[postimages]\" data-title=\"Women from different sectors at the event\" data-caption=\"Women from different sectors at the event. \" href='https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/womens-economic-and-social-advancement-highlight\/unpacking-the-impact-of-covid-19-reports-from-zimbabwe-and-uganda\/attachment\/women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event\/'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large lazyload\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-5421\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272048%27%20height%3D%271152%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202048%201152%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272048%27%20height%3D%271152%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" title=\"Women from different sectors at the event. \" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-1024x576.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-700x394.jpg 700w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Women-from-different-sectors-at-the-event-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-5421'>\n\t\t\t\tWomen from different sectors at the event. \n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The event focused on reviewing COVID-19 reports, how to develop a rescue package to support women-led businesses impacted by the pandemic and inputs towards developing an advocacy strategy for businesses impacted. These are in line with The Trust\u2019s work to convene, advocate for women\u2019s financial inclusion to help pinpoint areas for policy recommendations and identify public and private sector commitments for follow-up actions.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The report revealed that during the pandemic, The Ministry of Youth disbursed USD10, 000 to various women and girls in the business. However, it was noted that most women&#8217;s organizations were said to be not aware of packages in place for women&#8217;s development purposes.\u201cRelative to young men, young women experience significantly lower self-confidence and feel that their individual needs and choices must come second to their family duties. They also feel that their career possibilities, including entrepreneurship, are limited by societal pressures on appropriate roles for women. The ministry of youth support girls and young women to build confidence therefore targeted intervention is needed from an early stage hence the need to incorporate them into women&#8217;s business networks,\u201d shared Mrs Colleta Muzulu- Principal Arts and Culture Officer Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On her part, Dr Shungu called for investment in enterprise development to increase economic support and help young women set up and grow businesses. This would then lead to creating new jobs and using profits to support more children in school to avoid the risk of early marriages. Some of the business women in attendance called on the government and stakeholders to bring back adult education as older people, especially women, are being left behind in entrepreneurial development. The event ended with a vote of thanks from Mrs Nkomo- Board Member Network of African Business Women in Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h4>National dialogue on Female representation on COVID-19 response and Economic Recovery<\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5422\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5422\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-5422 size-fusion-600\" src=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International-600x241.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International-600x241.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27600%27%20height%3D%27241%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20600%20241%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27600%27%20height%3D%27241%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International-200x80.jpg 200w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International-300x121.jpg 300w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International-400x161.jpg 400w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International-500x201.jpg 500w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International-600x241.jpg 600w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International-700x281.jpg 700w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International-768x309.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International-800x322.jpg 800w, https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Some-of-the-participants-at-the-convening.-Photo-Credits-Native-TV-International.jpg 1000w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5422\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some of the participants at the convening. Photo Credits; Native TV International.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To mitigate the effects of the pandemic, almost all governments constituted COVID-19 response task forces. In Uganda, the government constituted task forces, under a disaster management framework, at the national, sectoral, district and local levels. The task forces were involved in case management, surveillance, health promotion, resource mobilisation, enforcement of SOPS at all levels and now economic recovery. It has been noted that in Uganda, women were at the helm of the first National Task Force.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Gra\u00e7a Machel Trust \u2013 Uganda Networks, spearheaded by the Network of African Business Women \u2013 Uganda Chapter (NABW-U), on 29th June 2022, held a convening of Women Representatives on Covid-19 response and Economic Recovery task forces. The event was held at Hotel Africana in Kampala and was presided over by Dr. Pamela Mbabazi who represented Hon. Mary Karooro Okurut, the pioneering leader of the first Covid-19 National task force. Dr. Mbabazi is the Chairperson of the National Planning Authority, a key institution in shaping national development strategies.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To organise the event, NABW-U worked with other Uganda chapters; New Faces New Voices (NFNV), Africa Women Agribusiness Network (AWAN), and Women in Media Network (WIMN), who are the implementing partners for the GMT Women\u2019s Leadership for Financial Inclusion and Economic Recovery (WLFI) Project.\u00a0In her speech, the guest of Honour underscored the key role the women of Uganda have played in the management of the COVID- 19 Health Crisis. She thanked the government of Uganda for trusting women to deliver on task forces. It is worth noting, however, that although women have been a major workforce in COVID-19 response, making up to 70% of healthcare frontline workers, they have been extremely underrepresented in government task forces. For instance, a review of 225 COVID-19 task forces from 137 countries by UN Women established that women&#8217;s representation was only at 24%. According to Ms Florence Kasule, the Chairperson of NABW, \u201cthis underrepresentation negatively affects women\u2019s recovery from the adverse impact of COVID-19 because, without women in decision-making positions, there is a high risk of ignoring women\u2019s needs in the COVID-19 response and recovery measures taken by governments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The keynote was followed by a very animated panel discussion where the panel and the audience brought up many issues both. Panelists included: Ms. Amina Lukanga (Kampala Resident City Commissioner \u2013 RCC), Mr. Allan Ssenyondwa (Private Sector Foundation), Ms. Violet Kabasindi (Informal Sector workers\u2019 representative in Kampala, Wakiso and Busia,) Juliet Bagaaya (Centenary Bank) and Hope Katwiire (Kampala City Traders Association \u2013 KACITA \u2013 Women\u2019s League). Ms Katwiine proposed that the Recovery Task forces\u2019 composition should have women from the women\u2019s groups and not just those in political appointments. Ms Beatrice Bbale Nakayiki from President\u2019s Office chimed in, stating that \u201ceconomic recovery programmes will remain jargon unless the country shifts the discussion to production and productivity.\u201d The networks plan to hold training activities where women representatives on task forces will be trained in lobbying, advocacy skills, and other skills that will make them more effective and accountable to the nation and the women they represent.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The event was also attended by the Gra\u00e7a Machel Trust (GMT) Director of Programmes, Ms Shiphra Chisha. In her remarks, she emphasized the commitment of GMT to improving the lives of African women and children through three main programme areas; Women\u2019s Economic and Social Advancement, Children\u2019s Rights and Education.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is a compilation of stories done by Nonhlanhla Ngwenya (WIMN Zimbabwe Comms Coordinator) and Hilda J. Twongyeirwe a member of FEMRITE \u2013 Uganda, The Lions Club of Kampala Central, Action for Development, The GMT Women in Media Network and The Pan African Writers Association.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a UN Women Report on the impact of  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_rtcl_gb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[292,95],"tags":[361,92,362,94,363,109,364,334,365,366,349,326,367,368],"class_list":["post-5416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-womens-economic-and-social-advancement-highlight","tag-childrens-rights","tag-covid-19","tag-education","tag-graca-machel-trust","tag-hilda-j-twongyeirwe","tag-new-faces-new-voicesnfnv","tag-nonhlanhla-ngwenya","tag-shiphra-chisha","tag-the-network-for-african-business-women-nabw","tag-uganda","tag-un-women","tag-women-in-media-network","tag-womens-economic-and-social-advancement","tag-zimbabwe"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}