Young women in Kariba are taking charge of their safety and leading community change. Following a community advocacy action organized by the Institute for Young Women’s Development (IYWD) on June 20, 2025 in partnership with Patsaka Trust, they launched a petition demanding urgent action to address human-wildlife conflict. Dividing into teams to collect signatures and engage authorities, they are directly challenging threats that have long prevented women and girls from participating in decision-making spaces.

Kariba is known for its beautiful views and wildlife, and many tourists visit the area to enjoy nature and animals. But for people who live there, the reality is very different. Instead of enjoying the animals, many community members live in fear. Most residents live with the constant threat of attacks from lions, elephants, hyenas, and other dangerous animals. This ongoing danger affects everyone, but especially women and young women. Every week, the community records incidents of human-wildlife conflict, including serious injuries and even deaths of community members from wildlife attacks. This ongoing crisis does not just disrupt daily life, it has deeply affected the participation of women and girls in decision making spaces. Many hesitate to attend community meetings or engage in decision-making platforms, fearing the risks of traveling long distances through unsafe areas and their voices are often left out of discussions that matter.

For years, this has been the reality, one that has sidelined young women from influencing both informal and formal community decisions. But the young women and women are determined to rewrite the story. Motivated and united, they launched a petition calling on key authorities, National Parks, the District Development Coordinator’s office, and Kariba Town Council to urgently address the escalating human-wildlife conflict.

“We can’t live in fear anymore,” said Adriana, one of the young women. “We want National Parks to teach us how to live safely with animals and avoid attacks.”
Brandy Moyo added, “We also need proper fences so animals don’t come into our communities.”

The young women split into two teams: one to collect signatures and talk to community members, and the other to deliver the petition to the right offices. They plan to finish and submit the petition by July 30, 2025. A follow-up meeting was set for June 23 to finalize everything.

These young women are showing courage and leadership. This powerful act of organising signals a shift. The young women of Kariba are no longer waiting for transformation but they are leading it. As Adriana put it, “We are not just victims; we are advocates for change.”

The petition read “We the undersigned young women and women of Kariba , are writing to express our outrage and deep concern over the escalating Human Wildlife Conflicts in our community . The frequent attacks by wild animals , including hyenas ,elephants , have resulted in loss of lives and livelihoods , leaving us in a state of fear and insecurity. We call upon ZimParks , MOK and the DDC’s office to take urgent action to address the human -wildlife conflict crisis in Kariba . We will not tolerate further loss of life , livelihoods due to the inaction of Zimparks.”

Their courage and collective action serve as a rallying cry for others across the country that safety is a right, and young women have every right to demand it. Their actions are a powerful example of what young people can do when they come together to demand better.

The Kariba petition campaign speaks directly to national and global development priorities. It affirms the rights enshrined in Section 73 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution on the right to a safe environment and contributes to broader goals under the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 5 (Gender Equality) which promotes women’s leadership and safety and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) which calls for safe, inclusive, and resilient living spaces. By claiming space and demanding safety, the young women of Kariba are showing what it means to build inclusive, resilient communities where every voice counts.

The young women of Kariba are not the only ones. Across Harare and Mashonaland West provinces, young women and women are mobilizing, organizing, and driving local advocacy efforts to push for transformation and initiate civic actions under the project. This growing wave of activism was captured during six community reflection, monitoring, and documentation meetings, co-facilitated by IYWD, CCJP Chinhoyi, and Patsaka Trust.

A total of 146 women participated, including 93 young women and one woman with a disability, reflecting the diversity and inclusion at the heart of the movement. In Nyaminyami, petitions led to the drilling of a borehole; in Zvimba, women sustained advocacy against unsafe mining practices; and in Chakobora Village, Makonde, peaceful protests successfully led a mining company to adopt corporate social responsibility measures.

From Harare to the heart of Mashonaland West, a powerful pattern is emerging where young women and women are not just raising their voices they are building a coordinated force for accountability and justice across communities. These efforts speak directly to IYWD’s strategic goal of strengthening young women and women’s leadership and activism as a pathway to inclusive governance and social justice.