“A friend of mine introduced me to the Nehemiah Project after she saw the abuse I was experiencing. I got vocational training and counselling from the project, and they helped me start a new life and move away from my abusive marriage.
It was not easy as he was the father of my daughter and I hoped to raise her in a stable environment with both parents, but with the help I got from the project to start a business, he became more abusive by taking the money I had made.
He would come home drunk and get violent with me. At times he would even sleep with a knife under the pillow just to scare me.
Even though he was working he wasn’t responsible; he wouldn’t buy food or pay rent. I had to always make a plan to ensure there was something in the house.
Even then if I did piece jobs, working as a maid or selling items, he would take my money and go spend it in the bar."
"The Nehemiah Project helped me to get a place away from my abusive husband. I left the house with just my and my daughters clothing - and nothing else.
Currently I am selling groceries and am able to take my daughter to school through the Nehemiah Project’s assistance.
I hope that I will be a beauty therapist one day and also own a grocery shop.
If I had not connected with the project my child would still not be going to school and I would still be with my abusive husband.
Thanks to the Nehemiah Project I have broken free from his hold.”
FACTS & STATS
Violence against women continues to be a pervasive human rights abuse in Zimbabwe.
39% of women have reported being physically abused since the age of 15, and 12% between 15 and 49 years old have experienced sexual violence.
Intimate Partner Violence is the most dominant form.