By Portia Muzorava
Women from various mining communities across Zimbabwe recently gathered for the SAT inception meeting which was led by the Economic Justice for Women Project, a bold initiative aimed at enhancing feminist agency and building transformative regional solidarity alliances against extractive industries, while promoting feminist-led climate action.
The meeting, which brought together women from Bikita, Mberengwa, Goromonzi, and Buhera, served as a crucial platform for the participants to share their lived experiences in mining-affected areas and explore strategies for sustainable development that centers women’s rights, economic empowerment, and environmental justice.
During the session, the women spoke passionately about the numerous challenges they face as a result of extractive activities in their communities. These included land degradation, pollution of water sources, lack of fair benefit-sharing mechanisms, and the marginalisation of women in mining decision-making processes.
Many participants noted how mining operations, both legal and illegal, have disrupted livelihoods, increased gender-based violence, and deepened poverty among women and girls. “We see development happening around us, but we are not part of it. Instead, we are the ones bearing the brunt,” said one participant from Goromonzi.
The meeting also emphasized the need for inclusive and rights-based approaches to natural resource governance. Participants discussed how building regional solidarity alliances among women in mining communities could amplify their voices and demands for justice at both local and national levels.
The women identified several roles they would play in advancing the goals of the project. These include:
- Community mobilization and awareness raising on women’s rights in the extractive sector.
- Monitoring and documenting environmental and social impacts of mining activities.
- Engaging local authorities and traditional leaders to demand transparency and accountability.
- Promoting sustainable, alternative livelihoods that empower women economically while protecting the environment.
The meeting closed on a high note with a renewed sense of purpose and unity. Participants committed to forming local feminist networks that will champion economic justice, environmental protection, and women’s leadership in resource governance.
The Economic Justice for Women Project is expected to create a strong, coordinated voice of women across mining regions, pushing back against harmful extractive practices and advancing a feminist climate justice agenda that puts community wellbeing and women’s agency at the center.
