Staff Reporter

First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa has revealed that the Government is trying hard to help Zimbabwean women in all sectors of the economy to achieve their full potential.

Posting on her Twitter handle while celebrating the International Women`s Day, the First Lady said, ‘’Women are defying gender stereotypes right across our country, and the government is helping to empower Zimbabweans to achieve their full potential.’’

The First Lady celebrated that 57 percent of medium and small businesses operating in Zimbabwe are run by women and 46 percent of Zimbabwe`s High Court Judges are also women.

The First Lady revealed that close to ZWL $233.12 million has so far been disbursed by the Government for women empowerment initiatives.

International Women`s Day is a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, while also making a call to action for strengthening gender equality and accelerating women`s empowerment.

The event which is celebrated annually in March, coincides with the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) which meets  for two weeks annually in March in New York to review progress registered towards promotion and protection of women`s rights and sustainable development.

The theme this year is ‘’Choose to challenge’’ which highlights the importance of challenging biases and misconceptions in the interest of fostering and promoting a more inclusive and gender equal world.

The International Women`s Day celebration this year comes at a time when the nation and the world at large are grappling the Covid-19 pandemic and its devastating effects hence the United Nation (UN) theme for International Women`s Day, 8 March 2021 (IWD 2021), ‘’Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world,’’ which celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.