本帖最后由 pchyenglish 于 2010-2-26 09:25 编辑
Homework:
Charity Mandishona was once a teacher in Zimbabwe. But she left the profession years ago when hyperinflation destroyed her salary's buying power. She says she and her husband, a former miner, ran a bar for a while, but it was destroyed by police five years ago in a major clean-up operation.Mandishona now supports her family by selling Zimbabwean handcrafts in neighboring countries.
Mandishona was speaking at a recent workshop in Pretoria sponsored by the United Nations Development Fund for Women, known as UNIFEM.
UNIFEM Director for Southern Africa Nomcebo Manzini notes a recent survey of more than 700 informal cross-border traders in the region shows that trade contributes significantly to the number-one Millennium Goal, reducing poverty.
She noted the trade is dominated by women, and as a result it could also help achieve another Millennium Goal, reducing gender inequality.
A Zimbabwean contributor to the survey, Joyce Malaba, told the gathering that informal cross-border trade is attractive to many, but carries many risks especially as they travel.
Malaba says some women surveyed said they were obliged to trade sexual favors for safe accommodation. And informal traders of both sexes faced harassment and theft of their goods by local police, border guards and other officials during their trips. |