Envision Zimbabwe Women’s Trust is a local conflict transformation, women’s rights and development organisation which champions women-powered peace nationwide.
BackgroundFounded by a group of leading women in 2008, Envision takes a holistic approach to support peaceful conflict transformation and the advancement of women’s rights and gender equality.
ReachEnvision has delivered conflict transformation training and dialogue engagements to women, police services, traditional leaders and other community leadership and stakeholders.
ImpactEnvision not only reduced incidences of reported violence and domestic abuse, but also transformed the role of women in conflict resolution and in their communities.
Envision Zimbabwe Women’s Trust is a local conflict transformation, women’s rights and development organisation. Founded by a group of leading women in 2008, the organisation takes a holistic approach to support peaceful conflict transformation and the advancement of women’s rights and gender equality across Zimbabwe, in both rural and urban areas.
For over 50 years, Zimbabwe has experienced low-intensity conflict marked by periods of escalation and political violence often triggered by elections.
In 2019, Zimbabwe faced its worst economic crisis in a decade, with basic necessities becoming inaccessible for many, while a militarised state cracked down on civil society organisations. Conflict today remains rooted in disputes over national power and economic hardship. Severe nationwide droughts in recent years have exacerbated poverty and driven conflict over resources, as well as worsening the critical rates of violence against women and girls. In Hurungwe, where Envision works, the majority of the community are small hold farmers who are extremely vulnerable to droughts and poverty.
Envision recognises that development, conflict, and security are interconnected, and believes that all change inevitably involves conflict due to shifts in power within communities and between genders. Based on this, its interventions utilise conflict transformation techniques to address the long-standing challenges faced, primarily by women and girls, in Zimbabwe.
Embracing the need to tackle causes of conflict from the ground up, Envision employs a community-driven, collaborative approach, designing initiatives to address issues identified by the communities themselves, and continuously monitoring and adapting projects to meet their needs. By collaborating with traditional leaders, conflict transformation techniques can be used in their traditional courts.
Peace Direct has partnered with Envision since 2010. In the past two years in partnership with Peace Direct, Envision Zimbabwe has delivered conflict transformation training and dialogue engagements to women, police services, traditional leaders and other community leadership and stakeholders.
In Hurungwe, the conflict transformation programme supported by Peace Direct has established sustainable violence prevention mechanisms such as Peace Committees, intergenerational women’s groups, Peace Gardens, and Early Warning Early Response (EWER) platforms. Members are trained in leadership and conflict transformation skills, with Envision providing ongoing technical support and monitoring. Peace Gardens, for example, offer secure spaces where community members, especially women, can meet to discuss and resolve their challenges while ensuring food security and earning a livelihood from the garden produce.
In 2024, we launched the Peace Champion initiative, selecting 60 women from Peace Communities to lead the way in promoting and championing women-powered peace. Through training local Women Peace Champions, Envision fosters spaces where women can discuss their experiences, find support, and learn about their rights. These spaces are essential in rural communities where discussing such issues openly can be stigmatising or even dangerous.
Learn more about Envision Zimbabwe Women’s Trust on their website: https://envisionzimbabwe.org/
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