By Andrew Phiri

Thyolo, March 29, Mana: Thyolo District Gender and Development Officer, Gerald Zgambo has emphasized the need for various Non-Governmental Organizations that are working towards elimination of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the district to create safe and conducive environment where victims would be open to report the matters without interferences.

Zgambo made the call on Thursday when Chipembere Community Development Organization (CCDO) was opening their newly constructed offices.

The Gender officer said the council is delighted to see the organization’s potential of creating a safe and conducive area where victims of GBV such as children, women and the elderly will have freedom to report matters,

He added that that the building will also motivate its staff members to work effectively and efficiently on various projects they are rolling out in the district.

"These new offices have lifted the face of Thyolo district and now, we are pretty sure that cases of Gender Based Violence will be handled successfully right here because the affected parties will have adequate safety when reporting the cases.

"We applaud Chipembere Community Development Organization for committing to alleviate GBV cases because here in Thyolo, poverty, cultural beliefs and bordering areas of Mozambique are among the major factors that are fueling the occurrence of this malpractice," he said.

He therefore called for collective effort from the police, Civil Society Organizations, community and other parties to work on revamping the community victim support unit that will help to eradicate the challenge.

Executive Director for CCDO, Dalitso Chiwayula said since in 2010 when the organization was being established, it has been their dream to have a conducive environment where they would complement government's effort by working efficiently and effectively in dealing with issues of poverty, health, education and social welfare of communities in general.

"So far, we have managed to eliminate over 540 cases of early marriages in Thyolo. However, the issue of GBV is still a major challenge because many young girls are getting married and for this reason, we are facing various setbacks to alleviate the vice.

Parents are resisting to let their children return to school attributing to lack of school fees and other necessities that would enable their children's education successful," he said.

Senior Group Village Headman Chide from Traditional Authority Bvumbwe has since commended the organization for committing itself in uplifting the lives of rural communities in sectors of health, education and social welfare.

He called for all community leaders in the district to encourage the beneficiaries of such initiatives to embrace and transition various knowledge shared by these NGOs.