The National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust has expressed concern with the low participation of women in politics and decision-making positions in the country.
Nice Trust executive director Grey Kalindekafe highlighted this on Friday in Salima during a review meeting for the Nthawi Yathu Project, and the launch of the Political Leadership Manual for Women to guide female candidates and help them navigate challenges they meet during the electoral process.
of women. | Nation
He said despite efforts to empower women, they continue to face many challenges that hinder their participation in politics.
Said Kalindekafe: “Malawi is still lagging behind in the promotion of women participation in elections and politics. Many women have not made it into the highest position in any political party during conventions that happened last year.”
Commenting on the manual, Kalindekafe said it includes lessons to help women overcome political challenges and build capacity for the positions they are vying for.
“This manual provides guidelines to help women create strong manifestos, plan effective campaigns, and position themselves as leaders that communities can trust,” he said.
Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare gender and development officer, Chimwemwe Grace Kuseni, hailed Nice Trust for its empowerment efforts, including the manual which she said would support aspiring female leaders.
“Although the manual has been introduced a bit late, it is still very important especially at this stage to increasing women’s participation and encourage candidates. We hope it will help them as they prepare for the elections,” she said.
One of the participants and aspiring parliamentary candidate for Salima Central East constituency, Sakina Salim Chikomanje, said the Nthawi Yathu project, which is facilitated by Nice Trust and focuses on supporting female aspirants, played a big role in her success in the primaries.
She added that the newly-launched manual contains useful information that will help female aspirants overcome campaign challenges including violence against women.
“We face all sorts of violence and intimidation to the point that sometimes we just give up, but the manual has provided ways on how we can fight such barriers,” she said.
Funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Nthawi Yathu project aims to increase women representation in Salima, Karonga, and Neno districts which had no female representatives in decision-making positions in the last elections.
