"The Unseen Workforce"

Walking around the towns and cities of Zimbabwe you will always be met with a familiar sight of people tending to their vending stalls and in most of these cases these will be female folks of this vibrant yet informal sector. If you come from the medium to high density suburbs of my motherland like me then you know how convenient these people can be.

Have you ever run out of cooking oil or tomatoes and your salary is still weeks away you cannot afford to buy your monthly supply of groceries. In the midst of all this chaos you remember that there is a certain woman down the street who sells tomatoes, she even has a little convenient store that sells groceries. Even if you do not have enough money, she is willing to give you on credit provided you will pay your dent at the end of the month. Convenience, Convenience, Convenience.

In tel:2020 unbeknown to anyone, we found ourselves in the midst of a pandemic. A pandemic so bad that we had to stay indoors Most of us could not make it to the nearest market place to replenish our supply of fruits and vegetables that our bodies desperately needed by the way. Once again that little vending stall down the street would come to the rescue.

Their capability to bring convenience to the rest of us stems from a deeper root than just the desire to serve the community. They have families to support and children to send to school. A lot of prominent people in our societies were raised by such women. Women who are resilient and determined to put food on the table no matter the circumstances.

One would think that such contribution and resilience is heavily rewarded but unfortunately that is not the situation on the ground. Their hard work is often met with harassment, confiscation of goods, bad debtors and theft.

These are the women who keep the informal economy afloat, the women who defy all odds to put food on the table, the women who are responsible for raising the next generation of leaders. This is “the unseen workforce.”

It is high time that their contributions to society are seen and recognized. These women are more than vendors, they are the pillars of our society. Apart from keeping the economy afloat, they also keep families afloat.

They might be unseen, but their impact is unmatched!

Feministry!