Women movement relaunch Campaign Support Fund

By SITEMBILE SIWAWA

THE women movement has re-launched the Campaign Support Fund which is aimed at raising financial resources locally and fund elections crusades for female candidates in 2016 polls.

Gender analysis of 2011 elections and Zambia National Women Lobby (ZNWL) 2012-2016 strategic plan were launched alongside the support fund. Founding member and life member of ZNWL Gladys Mutukwa said one of the issues constraining women in participating fully in elections is lack of access to funds.

Ms Mutukwa said on Thursday evening during the launch that access to resources still remains as one of the major constraints facing women in equal participations.

"It makes my heart bleed when we talk of 17 female members of Parliament out of 150 and 85 councillors, it breaks my heart and makes it bleed," she said.

She said a number of countries in southern Africa are doing well in gender equity but added that Zambia will get there soon.

Ms Mutukwa commended ZNWL for prioritising the strategy to raise resources for women so that they are empowered to be able to complete favourably with male folk.

She said there is no reason why politics should be so expensive that so people are knocked out because they do not enough money.

"That is something we need to change. It is not the amount of money that you have which makes you make good quality contributions in Parliament or council chambers or anywhere else," she said.

She said following the collapsed of the support fund, the women movement went back to the drawing board and realised that there is need to have consistence source of fund for female candidates.

ZNWL national chairperson Beauty Phiri said unlike in the past where women movement would lobby for funds outside the country, this time it will be done locally.

Ms Phiri said with the launch of support fund, the women movement will form a committee that will manage the funds to ensure accountability.

"These funds will not be aligned to individual political parties but to all women who are going to participate in the 2016 elections," she said.

She said women perform badly during election because they lack adequate funding.

ZNWL executive director Juliet Chibuta said women should start preparing themselves for future elections and urged political parties to change their adoption processes and adopt those that would allow more women to take part in elections.