Gender equality and working animals
Herminah Simoyi is an Education Officer with our team in Zimbabwe. This International Women’s Day, she answers our questions about the link between gender equality and working animals.
What is your role?
My role is to support PAWS clubs (Promoting Animal Welfare and Sustainability) in schools. I work closely with teachers, providing learning materials and activities that cover animal welfare and wider topics such as the environment. I also help build teachers’ skills and confidence so they can deliver the lessons themselves.
Through PAWS clubs, we inspire children to respect and care for working animals. We see them taking this knowledge back to their communities. Many of their families already own working animals, and others may become animal owners in the future.
How do you make sure PAWS clubs are benefitting girls?
We encourage all children to attend PAWS clubs after school. It’s especially important for girls, as it exposes them to the various opportunities available to them in life. It’s also valuable for girls to learn to express their thoughts in PAWS clubs, as gender inequality can make this more challenging for them.
We ensure the clubs benefit girls by monitoring the gender balance of attendees, especially in rural areas where girls are more likely to be withdrawn from school to help with household tasks.
In our clubs, we share stories of girls who have dreams and aspirations. I wrote one of the educational books we use in our classes in Zimbabwe. Many of the children were surprised to learn that I had written the book myself. It’s important for girls to see me, a woman from a rural background, working in the field of animal care, which is still largely male-dominated. This helps teach girls that it’s normal to be productive, capable and represented in any field.
How do working animals support women and girls?
In Zimbabwe, most household chores are carried out by women and girls. Early in the morning, they often walk long distances to complete tasks such as collecting water. Working animals, especially donkeys, make their lives much easier. By helping with chores like fetching water, donkeys save time and energy, allowing women and girls to focus on other activities, including attending school or doing income-generating work. In addition to freeing up their time, donkeys also support women by transporting garden produce to markets, helping them earn a living.
What types of working animals support women and girls in Zimbabwe?
In Zimbabwe, it’s more common for women and girls to have a donkey rather than a horse. Horses are for very privileged people, but it’s quite common to see women and girls being helped by donkeys.
How do donkeys help girls in particular?
In my role, I hear about the challenges that girls face. Many drop out of school to do chores at home, sometimes as young as 12, just after finishing primary school. Leaving school early can start a cycle of poverty, as girls often remain at home and marry young. Donkeys help reduce the burden of household chores, allowing girls to stay in school and access the same opportunities and skills as boys.
Why is International Women’s Day important?
I’d really like to highlight the role women play in communities and their resilience. They are at the heart of families, caring for everyone while also contributing to income generation. Women in Zimbabwe make a massive contribution, yet this is often overlooked.
In my role, I see how donkeys in particular support women with income generation and help to keep girls in school. I believe working animals play an important role in advancing gender equality. However, women still do not have equal opportunities compared with men. They need to be able to participate in public life and have a voice in their communities and beyond.
