rural women of Weneen as part of World Rural Women's Day Celebrations
19 October 2006
The number of rural women living in poverty continues to escalate at an
alarming rate as statistics show that the number of women living in abject
poverty has doubled since 1970.
This sharp increase can be attributed to the factors like illiteracy, as two
thirds of all illiterate people are women, which makes it difficult for them to
find employment. The MEC will host the World Rural Women's Day Celebration in
Weneen on Sunday, as means of promoting awareness around the importance of
health for rural women.
"Faced with such obstacles these extraordinary rural women play a crucial
role in fighting hunger as they are often expected to provide food for their
families and end up forgetting that they too need to take care of their health
and well-being. Rural women produce more than three quarters of the world's
food. In rural areas of the developing world where food production is the
principle activity women provide up to 80% of food consumed in their homes,"
says the MEC for Health in KwaZulu-Natal, Mrs Peggy Nkonyeni.
The KZN Department of Health hopes to utilise this day to facilitate access
to knowledge for rural women in order for them to get concrete and general
information about health, nutrition, childcare etc.
The event will take place as follows:
Date: 22 October 2006
Venue: Weneen Sports Ground
Time: 10h00
The idea of celebrating World Rural Women's Day came about at a United
Nations (UN) Conference for women in Beijing. The UN resolved to observe this
day to raise the profile of rural women and to acknowledge the crucial yet
largely unrecognised role played by rural women in our communities.
Enquiries:
Leon Mbangwa
Cell: 083 459 8695
Issued by: Department of Health, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
19 October 2006
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health (http://www.kznhealth.gov.za)
