2015-05-27 12:49:00

Women are the back bone of society says Ernestina Nxumalo


Ernestina Nxumalo, President of the Council of Catholic Women in Swaziland says that when the family is strong and based on principles of the Church, society benefits.

“We have to start in the family. For the next four years, we intend in Swaziland to work towards giving hope to women. We need to give hope especially to rural women.” Ernestina Nxumalo said this when she spoke to Vatican Radio’s Head of the English Service for Africa, Fr. Paul Samasumo at the recent Second International Conference on Women held in Rome over the weekend. The event was organised by the World Union of Women’s Catholic Organisations and the World Women’s Alliance for Life and Family in conjunction with the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The conference had as its theme, “Women and the post-2015 development agenda: The challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

Speaking as a delegate from Swaziland, Ernestina Nxumalo pointed out that the international conference was looking at the challenges that are faced by women in light of the just ended Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In the place of MDGs, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are in the process of being introduced. According to Nxumalo, poverty and illiteracy are some of the challenges that women in Swaziland are facing. 

“Many women in rural areas of Africa and Swaziland in particular are not educated and rely on subsistence farming for their survival. However, the land is not giving back much yield and this has led to an increase in malnutrition especially among children,” Nxumalo said. 

Nxumalo said that development well-targeted at women in Africa is vital because, “Women are the back bone of the African society. Women are also able to contribute in making the world a better society for all,” she said.

With regard to the family in Swaziland, Nxumalo pointed out the fact that many women now have to work to provide for their families and this has had a negative effect on the fabric of Swazi family life.

“The woman’s role is no longer limited to the traditional chores of taking care of children. As Catholics, we should not abandon our moral values and the principles of the Church.  Unfortunately, now it is caregivers and child minders that are left to instill moral values to our children because parents are often away working – sometimes for longer periods,” Nxumalo lamented.

Nevertheless, Nxumalo spoke proudly about the vibrancy of Catholic women’s organisations in Swaziland.  She was also happy that the Church’s hierarchy in Swaziland is very supportive of women’s organisations and their activities.

Swaziland, officially known as the Kingdom of Swaziland is an absolute monarchy. Thus, the country’s head of state is King Mswati III. Swaziland has an approximate radius of 200 kilometres and is one of the smallest countries in Africa. Mostly surrounded by South Africa, it also shares a border with Mozambique. 

 (By Rudolph Nyamudo /Vatican Radio)

e-mail: engafrica@vatiradio.va

 








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