GET TO KNOW US
About Swaziland Rural Women Assembly
Our History and Situational Analysis
SRWA was formed on the 08th March 2011 and registered in October 2013. It was started by a group of rural women who came together after experiencing escalating injustices, closed women space for association and participation, violence against fellow women and the violation of environmental rights in Swaziland. Women and girls face poverty, discrimination, gender based violence and are the most hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. These women went to mobilize other women around the country through door to door campaigns, public meetings and community dialogues and debates. SRWA supports women’s’ projects by building their capacity on self-help projects and income generating initiatives. These are also used as forums for discussion on issues affecting their daily lives and how they can be addressed and overcome. SRWA works nationally and in all four regions of the Kingdom of Eswatini with an estimated membership of 20,000 women. SRWA has 170 Community Based Organisations (CBOs) as affiliates and 80 women community organizers.
The Kingdom of Swaziland is a unitary state led by a hereditary monarch who de facto harbors all legislative, judicial and executive powers. Swaziland remains Africa’s last absolute monarchy and one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the world. The country doesn’t play a major role in climate change, environmental protection and agro-ecology which mostly affect women and it promotes the use of GMO (Genetically modified organism) which destroys the land. Women and girls face day to day abuse and violence from household level to national level. The hard hitting thing that affects women is poverty and unemployment as also their children’s unemployment makes them to depend on their parents mainly women. Even in the face of a Constitution that purports to promote women’s rights and freedoms and despite signing a number of international treaties, women’s rights are massively restricted they suffer high levels of discrimination, oppression and marginalization. Under its dual legal system, rural areas are ruled by chiefs who report to the king under a patriarchal system of uncodified traditional and customary law. Swaziland’s legal framework consistently undermines the rights of women and they are continuously classified as minors and denied the opportunity or resources to advocate for their rights. The gap is huge and causes mainly social and economic imbalances.
Since Inception...
- SRWA thrive to dismantle patriarchy, reduce Gender Based Violence, Femicide, eradicate poverty, seek climate justice and achieve Gender Equality for women in rural communities. This is in live with achieving SDG 1 and 5 which is to end poverty and achieve gender equality. SRWA member organisations conduct community dialogues, group educational sessions and door-to-door sessions on women’s rights and empowerment. SRWA membership comprises feminists, rural women, sex workers, survivors of GBV, women with disabilities, and widows.
- Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly (SRWA) seek to confront the traditional, cultural and policy limitations that are militating against women’s customary rights to land in Eswatini.
- SRWA is concerned with building partnerships and networking with like-minded organizations locally, regionally and internationally. The Women’s Assembly also creates democratic space for rural women to come together and share experiences, advocacy skills and speak with a united voice. It empowers women to challenge the status quo and trains them to participate in decision making processes on issues that deal with their rights, interests and welfare. SRWA also lobbies and advocates for policies that promote and protect women and girls’ rights. It works nationally in Swaziland with a particular focus in the rural areas as a number of other NGOs focus is mainly around the Manzini-Mbabane urban corridor and rarely work in rural areas. SRWA envisions a patriarchal free society where women freely participate in the social, economic, religious, political, cultural and educational spheres in the country.
- SRWA is a member of RWA Southern Africa where we come together as SADC women to learn from each other, share ideas and campaign together on changes in the region.
Our Mission and Vision
To mobilize, organize, educate and empower Swazi women and girls for their best future against all injustices and inequalities
Our Vision is;
We envision a just society with respect of women and girls´ rights, allowing free democratic participation, empowerment, and holistic development of women. A nation that prioritizes the protection of mother earth and the people than profit
Our Pillars
- Mobilising and Organising
- Education
- Lobby and advocacy
- Economic empowerment
- Institutional development
- Environmental & climate justice.
Our Structure
The Rural Women’s Assembly is a registered membership based organization with a Constitution and a fully-fledged democratically elected leadership structure called the National Executive Council (NEC). SRWA Annual General Meeting meets every year and the elective one is once in 4 year. SRWAS’s strategy and programme of work is set by the NEC and agreed by the AGM. The National General council (NGC) seats twice in a year to approve activities and discuss yearly results. The NEC is responsible for the work, strategic direction and the running of the assembly and meets once every month. The Women’s Assembly also has a secretariat that meets on a daily basis and reports directly to the NEC. SRWA has regional structures who are in charge of regional activities and also meet once a month. Then there are community conveners who meets once in two weeks and report to the regional structures on events taking place in their communities
