HEAD WOMAN JUSTINA PHIRI - AN ADVOCATE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE

Justina Phiri has been headwoman in Mumbulumba 

village for 15 years

Women in leadership positions in rural areas remains a wonder to see but their contributions to their communities often go un-acknowledged. This is because the increase in patriarchal attitudes disguised as cultural norms hinders women’s participation in leadership roles in rural areas.

Mumbuluma village is located in Luangwa district of Eastern province in Zambia. The area has 12 village headwomen and only 4 headmen. These women are also advocates for climate change interventions that their area is in dire need of. 

59-year-old Justina Phiri has been a headwoman in the area for the past 15 years. She explained that indiscriminate tree cutting for charcoal has led communities to observe the reduction of rainfall over the years and hence the need to conserve the environment was finally being taken seriously by rural communities. 

She alluded to the fact that women are most affected by the poor rainfall pattern as they now have to travel longer distances than before to fetch water for their households; and such women are taking up the opportunities to play leading roles in building climate change resilience of their communities. When asked why there are more headwomen than headmen in her area, Justin blatantly explained that male leadership is usually derailed by bad habits such as excessive beer drinking and this has influenced the number of women taking on traditional leadership roles such as hers. “You find that when we have a meeting like a climate change meeting for example and we’re given a transport refund or sitting allowance, men will spend it all on beer drinking before they even get home. Us women, we always think of our dependents at home. Women are smart like that, “Justina chuckled. 

Justina is an active member of Mumbuluma rangeland committee which has been tasked with sensitizing and rolling out rangeland management interventions in Luangwa. These rangeland committees that were established by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock through their Enhanced Smallholder Livestock Programme(E-SLIP) are being supported with climate change intervention trainings and even forage and pasture seed for over sowing in the rangelands.

 Furthermore, these committees have been given the mandate to establish and enforce by-laws targeted at protecting the interventions of rangeland management. Justina participated in a meeting for traditional leaders that was recently held in her village to discuss how existing by-laws surrounding rangeland management could be strengthened.

 “As women headwomen, we are actively involved in groups that are involved in climate change interventions and we also educate the youth who are the culprits of tree cutting and charcoal burning. We are now also involved in tree planting exercises and we have been planting most especially fruit trees and trees used for timber for the coming generation,” Justina said. 

Justina is a single mother supporting 8 children who include her own and orphaned children of two late siblings. “I support them by selling fruits that are in season such as the indigenous masau fruit or when mangoes are in season - I sell them. I also sell fish,” Justina disclosed. She understands the farming opportunities that are being lost due the unfavorable rainfall and she hopes that the contributions she is making to her community will benefit the growing generation.