Penjani, Malawi: ‘Every time I need money, I have to request it from my mother-in-law’

[Part of the Inside:Out series marking the European Year for Development 2015]

(- In conversation with Chikondi Chabvuta)

“My name is Penjani Chawinga, I’m 35 years old and live in Mwahenga, Rumphi District, Malawi. I’ve been married to Ephron for nine years and we have five children, three boys and two girls. We earn our living by farming and rearing pigs. For the past eight years we have also been living with Ephron’s mother, my mother-in-law.

Over the years we have had some good times. She has helped me to care for our children and we have always been able to talk opening with each other. However, she has mostly made my life very difficult. She controls all of the money in the house and is the custodian of all our property.

After we harvest our crops and sell them, the proceeds are kept and controlled by my mother-in-law. Every time I need money for my family, I have to request from my mother-in-law to release it. This has happened for a long time. We were never able to make budgets together as a family, as my mother-in-law made all of the decisions. For example, I had to cook Nsima (a dish made from maize flour and water and a staple food in Malawi) in an old clay pot as my mother-in-law refused to give me the money to buy new kitchen utensils.”

In February 2015, Penjani lodged a complaint against her mother-in-law to Mwahenga Women Forum an ActionAid Partner which implements an Irish Aid funded Women’s Rights Programme in the area.

When Women Forum members learned about her problems they called her husband, mother-in-law and father-in-law for a round-table discussion. The Women’s Forums teach members of the community about women’s rights and human rights, and where there are problems within a community, especially in relation to domestic violence; they mediate and counsel both parties over a number of sessions. Both her husband and mother-in-law admitted that her allegations were true. Her mother-in-law admitted that the she was custodian of the money, as she felt that Ephron was careless and if he was allowed to be in charge we would run out of cash.

Upon her own plea of guilty, Women Forum members counseled and advised her to refrain from interfering in the affairs of her son’s family especially handling and keeping cash for them, because it’s their right to own things and enjoy the proceeds from farming. They further advised her not to make budgets for the family.

Penjani said “My life has changed for the better since that day, and now I run the household along with my husband. We have been able to buy basic cooking utensils and decisions on our family’s finances are made by our family alone. Now I live in peace with my husband and he provides me with all basic necessities without the interference of his mother. I would urge the organisation to continue to fight for women’s rights.”

[Part of the Inside:Out series marking the European Year for Development 2015]

ActionAid Ireland

ActionAid Ireland was established in 1983 and is a member of the ActionAid International Federation, with offices in 45 countries around the globe.

ActionAid has been partnering with Irish Aid for nearly 20 years. What started as a small-scale support for small initiatives has developed into a strong women’s rights programme being implemented in four countries: Malawi, Kenya, Vietnam and Nepal and is focused on ending violence against women and ensuring that women and girls can break the cycle of poverty and violence.

The Irish Aid-funded women’s rights programme supports local women’s groups to empower them to stand up for their rights in their own communities. In order to be able to do so they are, for example, provided with training and participation in businesses or cooperatives to gain financial independence, support their families and break their cycle of poverty and violence. However, these initiatives need to be sustainable and this cannot be done without national-level activities that challenge and change existing national policies negatively affecting women and girls, which ActionAid also work on.

One tool that we give to the women’s groups is the Reflect Circle Approach, where members sit in a circle and share their experiences; learn the basics of literacy, how to access information and how to demand their rights to different services more effectively. Reflect Circles have been shown to strengthen people’s dignity and self-confidence, as well as having an impact on improving health practices, children’s education and local community organisation.

Read more at actionaid.ie