ANGELINE DIMING0
Tracy Nhayitayi, a 51-year-old woman has defied the odds and emerged as an influential matriarch in her community. With significant contributions towards education, activism against early child marriages, provision of safe water and business, Tracy has become a beacon of strength and empowerment for the women and girls in Chinhuwo village in the Buhera District of Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe.
Married off at the tender age of fifteen, Tracy is the first of Nyasha Mwandiyambira’s nine wives. She is a mother of fifteen children and grandmother to thirty-five. She leads a family of over a hundred inclusive of her stepchildren, daughters-in-law but exclusive of sons-in-law.
While polygamous families are usually infamous for hate, rivalry fights, backbiting and unnecessary competition, Tracy has defied the odds by playing a pivotal role in harmonizing the family and creating empowerment opportunities from within the household.
Tracy Nhayitayi flanked by co-wives and two daughters in law
Tracy collaborated with seven of her co-wives and three of her daughters-in-law to start a Village Savings and Lending Association. The association also received a loan boost from one of the local banks. This partnership led to the establishment of poultry projects, a tuck-shop business and successively the acquisition of a grinding mill. With training in leadership and financial management from a local branch of Care Zimbabwe International, these ventures have provided financial stability for her large family.
“This is serious business; we record all transactions for accountability purposes because it is the major source of our livelihood. We no longer depend on our husband for school fees and general upkeep of our children,” said Tracy.
The women share defined roles and responsibilities within the projects and are at liberty to run individual projects apart from the collective projects. However, the young inexperienced wives prefer to be engaged in the collective projects on a full-time basis as they feel that they are yet to learn from the family elders.
Twenty-year-old co-wife and mother of 1, Ruth Chigara, expressed her gratitude. “I work at the grinding mill project as the miller, and I get paid on commission. As wife number eight, I had the fear of getting the intruder and rival treatment, but to my surprise, I was not only accommodated as a part of the family, but I also became gainfully employed. I have learnt to be self-reliant, and I do not have to fight with our husband over my day-to-day needs,” she said.
These business ventures have not only empowered these women to become self-sufficient and independent but have assisted the community through the provision of convenient services. Additionally, the projects and the support they received from the local bank also brought excitement and exposure to the banking system to the previously disadvantaged community. Pelagia Mutsvungami, the association’s secretary, could not hold her excitement as she joyfully narrated the memorable experience of getting into a bank for the first time. “I could not believe it. Me in in a bank? Making a transaction? It was a dream come true, I never thought I would ever find myself in a bank one day.”
Notably, the independence of the formerly overwhelmed family patriarch also became a panacea to the potential domestic violence exultance and tension within the family due to financial constraints. “We no longer fight with our husband nor amongst ourselves over insufficient supply of food and resources. For example, we only had a single plough in the family, and we had to use it in turns. This usually resulted in chaos and fights. Now most of us bought our own and we have even lost track of the whereabouts of the family plough.”
Tracy’s impact extends beyond her immediate family. Along with her fellow wives, she engages in humanitarian activities such as serving meals at the local school paying school fees for disadvantaged children providing free stationery and donating cleaning materials.
Tracy and her cowives distribute food at a school in Chiwenga Village
In addition to her business acumen and philanthropic efforts, Tracy is a vocal advocate for important social issues. She actively campaigns for education, speaks out against gender-based violence and child marriages, and promotes initiatives for climate change adaptation and clean water provision. Such has helped raise awareness and bring about positive change in her community.
“We as adults should protect children. Yes, I was married off at the age of fifteen and did not have access to education as a girl child, that was then and now times have changed.” Emphasized Tracy Nhayitayi
Despite facing adversity, Tracy Nhayitayi is rising above her circumstances to becoming a source of inspiration and hope for those around her. Her unwavering commitment to her family, community and social causes serves as a shining example of what can be achieved through perseverance and a strong conviction of purpose.
