Safe markets for female vendors: Tackling childcare, health risks

Sikhulekelani Moyo, [email protected]

THE growing informal sector across the country has seen women, and youth find ways to earn a living through selling fruits, vegetables, clothes, and other wares on the streets.

This has helped reduce poverty in many households. Different bays and trading spaces are being allocated by local authorities to allow people to sell different products.

However, for many female informal traders, hiring house helpers is a luxury they cannot afford.

Without childminders, a significant number of women who are into vending find themselves having to take their children with them to their vending bays, exposing them to different health hazards, as many of them spend their days crawling and playing on pavements.

Children are at high risk of being involved in car accidents as some of them move from one place to the other as they play. In a snap survey done by Chronicle, children from as young as three months old were seen sleeping on vending bays and along pavements where their mothers will be working.

Some grow up on those areas, go to school and come back to wait for their parents at the vending bays. The older children are sometimes found manning the bays and selling wares on behalf of their mothers while still in school uniform.

Vendors who spoke to Chronicle said due to the nature of their businesses, they cannot afford to hire childminders as they only get money for basic necessities.

“I was already vending when I got pregnant. I gave birth, and after three months, I came back to the streets and brought my baby with me because I didn’t have anyone to take care of the baby,” said one of the vendors who preferred anonymity.

“I can’t afford to sit at home because we have to buy food, pay rent, and take care of other expenses. We survive through vending but the money is little so I can’t hire a maid to take care of the child,” she said.

The sad reality is that children do not necessarily have to be on the roads in order to be hit by cars. There have been some accidents where people have been hit by cars while on the pavements.

Leaving a child sleeping on the pavements where vendors display their wares is dangerous.

The continuous outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid pose a health risk as crawling babies play in wet, dirty areas and pick up various objects, some harmful.

“When children come back from school, instead of letting them go home alone, we keep them at our workplaces so that we can go home with them after work,” said another vendor.

A significant number of vendors do not have stipulated knock off times, and are sometimes on the streets until as late as 8PM with children still in their school uniforms.

“We wish to get safer spaces for our children. We appeal to the Government to assist us with the establishment of such spaces because we can’t afford to hire childminders,” said the vendor.

During school holidays, some vendors take advantage of their older children being around to take care of the younger ones.

Often, you find children walking around pavements carrying babies on their backs while their mothers serve customers.

Some said children who spend time on the streets vending with their parents tend to have poor behaviour, with some ending up being beggars who take advantage of unsuspecting passersby.

Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) executive director Mr Michael Ndiweni said they are advocating for the construction of a smart market, where there will be play centres for children.

“We have been advocating for designated markets with play centres where mothers can leave their children playing while they’re working,” said Mr Ndiweni.

“Our modern markets have those designs, like our Nkulumane Fruits and Veggie Market. The reason why women bring their children to their vending bays is because they can’t afford day care or maids and as a result, they have to bring their children to their workspaces,” said Mr Ndiweni.

One of the vendors who only identified herself as MaNtini said having smart markets would lessen the burden as they could hire a single helper whom they would be paying as a group.

“We can hire one or two people to take care of the children and pay them as a group, that will make life easier for us because every member will contribute a little towards the payment of the helpers,” she said.

“This will also help in terms of hygiene for our children because safe markets will have proper sanitation; running water, and a cleaner environment than on the roadside where people relieve themselves everywhere.”

The Government in partnership with development partners is working on the establishment of these smart markets, which will provide women with a one-stop centre where they can access all critical services, which include gender-based violence centres, play centres, and a marketplace.

This is meant to empower women, reducing barriers that hinder them from actively participating in economic activities.

In an interview, Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Permanent Secretary, Dr Mavis Sibanda, said inadequate workspaces for traders proliferate women’s challenges.

“We have developed some concepts to cater for the needs of female traders. The one which is already working is in Chesvingo in Masvingo where we built a market where mothers work and there is a crèche where children play,” said Dr Sibanda.

“They’re paying but it’s not much; children get food and other things. We believe that if we get resources or support from partners, we can take that concept to different places because we have seen that it works. It’s not good for mothers to allow their children to play in unsafe environments.

“We do understand that the mother has no option because she has to look for means to survive; if she doesn’t go to work, that child will not eat. So, we’re trying our best to look for resources to build such centres across the country,” said Dr Sibanda.

The Chesvingo Safe Market incorporates a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) One-stop Centre and an Early Childhood Development Centre (ECD) —offering layered services. The GBV One-stop Centre provides refuge and support to empower GBV survivors so that they look beyond the abuse and instil hope for a better future. 

The ECD centre ensures that children are well cared for, allowing their mothers to concentrate on their businesses. The safe environment for their children means fewer worries about safety or childcare, leaving space for them to dream bigger.

In addition to offering a safe trading environment, the market is a meeting place for sharing of ideas, dreams taking root, livelihoods flourishing and engendering community cohesion.

It aligns with the International Labour Organisation’s mandate to promote decent work and sustainable development while supporting Government’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), which emphasises economic growth while leaving no one behind.

The Chesvingo Safe Market is a significant initiative under the Sustainable Enterprise Development of Women and Youth (SEDWAY) Project. It is a result of collaborative efforts of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Government of Zimbabwe, ILO and the City of Masvingo.

Lauding the partnership, ILO Country Director, Philile Masuku said: “Each partner brought unique strengths and resources to the table, demonstrating that when we work together, we can achieve remarkable outcomes.”

The market is set to empower vulnerable groups, especially women and youth. It goes beyond being just a noble endeavour but “represents a significant step towards achieving shared goals of inclusive growth, resilience, and sustainable development.”