From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:ZIMBABWE: FORMER PROSTITUTES FIND A NEW LEASE OF LIFE
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 23:17:17 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: ZIMBABWE: FORMER PROSTITUTES FIND A NEW LEASE OF LIFE


an inter press service feature

by andrew zhakata

marondera, zimbabwe, nov 12 (ips) -- ''if you want to live like
a king, you have to work like a slave, not like a prostitute'',
reads a graffiti at zano rinopa sadza cooperative venture in
eastern zimbabwe.

in the local shona language, the name of the cooperative
means ''self-sufficiency brings sustenance''. formed in 1983 by
53 former prostitutes in the farming town of marondera, about 60
km east of the capital, harare, it has turned out successfully.

founder members of the enterprise decided to quit the oldest
profession and put their backs into farming after a 1983
countrywide raid by the police to curb prostitution.

the raid netted over 15,000 prostitutes who were later
charged for soliciting at night spots and in the streets.

''the raid which was characterised by brutality taught us a
bitter lesson and forced us to seek decent ways of earning a
living'', says 42-year-old beauty chihohwa, head of the
cooperative.

each member contributed a subscription fee of about nine u.s.
dollars which enabled the cooperative to take off with farming.
marondera town council allocated them five ha for growing
vegetables, potatoes and maize for sale.

by leaps and bounds the venture expanded to include other
activities such as sewing school uniforms, poultry and a creche.

sally mugabe, late wife of zimbabwe president robert mugabe,
donated some money to buy chickens while some foreign donor
agencies provided eight sewing machines to the cooperative.

but old habits die hard as two years after the launch of the
cooperative some of its members started pulling out.

''there are now only 24 members left. those who went away had
been lured back into prostitution because they were lazy to use
their hands'', chihohwa told ips.

zano rinopa sadza has a ready market in the town and
surrounding commercial farms. eggs from its poultry farm are
bought by the 600-bed marondera general hospital for
in-patients. (more/ips)


zimbabwe: former (2)

''we realise about 4,000 zimbabwe dollars (about 800 u.s.
dollars) every month from the items we sell'', says the
cooperative treasurer, shylet mhute.

by putting greater emphasis on profitability of its
activities, the cooperative now pays each member 300 zimbabwe
dollars (about 60 u.s. dollars) every two months.

''this is really a new lease of life to me. prostitution does
not pay. i used to earn as little as 15 zimbabwe dollars (three
u.s. dollars) per week when i was on the streets'', says
38-year-old rosemary rusere, who resorted to the sex industry at
the age of 20 after her parents separated.

according to the treasurer, the venture proves to hundreds
of prostitutes in cities around zimbabwe that they can make a
living ''without roaming the streets and soliciting in hotels''.

''they must kick these habits which are fraught with health
risks. there are many decent ways of earning a living instead of
prostitution'', adds mhute.

despite police raids, zimbabwe is likely to face sobering
challenges in the years ahead as young women engaged in the sex
industry seem undeterred by the high incidence of acquired
immune deficiency syndrome (aids) in the country.

the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes aids, is
largely transmitted heterosexually in africa. health authorities
estimate there are 500,000 hiv positive victims in zimbabwe.

according to the police, an average of 200 women are arrested
weekly for soliciting in hotels and night spots in the zimbabwe
capital, harare, which has a population of about 1.2 million.

in zimbabwe, prostitution per se is not illegal, but
loitering for the purpose of soliciting, soliciting itself,
living off earnings of a person considered a prostitute and
forcing someone into prostitution are criminal offences.

''the prostitution menace has been compounded by the drought
and harsh economic reforms'', says titus gwarimba, a lecturer
at the school of social work in harare.

some women indulge in prostitution either because of lack of
education and skills or they find fun in a promiscuous
lifestyle, gwarimba says.

rudo gaidzanwa, a sociologist at the university of zimbabwe,
says some of the young prostitutes have mothers engaged in the
same trade which they take as a normal way of life.

''prostitution in zimbabwe evolves around education,
unemployment and the economic situation. the only solution is to
encourage girls to go to school and later learn a productive
trade'', gaidzanwa told ips. (end/ips/az/ro/ar/92)