More than four years ago, Hivos embarked on a major campaign to address and improve the working conditions of women working on the horticultural value chain: the Women@Work Campaign. At that time, women in this value chain were asking for help, facing a number of human rights violations. But in 2020, faces of happiness and stories of success in improving their welfare can be told.
This is the reason why the Women@Work Campaign partners, who are behind a series of initiatives aimed at addressing the plight of these women, converged in Zimbabwe in February to take stock on the gains made under the Campaign and explore opportunities for future engagements. The partners, drawn from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, affirmed the need to use both dialogue and dissent strategies to help secure the gains made so far. The majority of the participants endorsed the dialogue approach, which they said have helped them to make inroads in the farms and push for the plight of women workers within these farms. The partners agreed to leverage on existing power by shifting the dialogue approach from being a women farmers’ issue to a national issue that will push policy makers to action. The dissent strategy will complement this approach, with focus now shifting to an evidence-based approach backed by surveys and reports.