Riaan
CNN
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U-Mercy Esther wayeneminyaka eyisishiyagalombili lapho ehamba ekhaya.
Ekhuliswe ugogo wakhe emaphandleni aseTanzania, uMercy Esther nezingane zakubo bazalelwa ebumpofu, ngezinye izikhathi bengenamali yokudla, ingasaphathwa eyezincwadi zesikole. Lapho ugogo wabo ethintwa ukuba athole umsebenzi kaMercy Esther eKenya, nesithembiso sokuthi imali izothunyelwa ekhaya, wasamukela. Imali yayingasiza izingane zakubo kaMercy Esther. Bangase babe nekusasa elingcono.
Ukunikezwa komsebenzi kuphenduke amanga – esokuqala ochungechungeni lwezithembiso eziphulwayo ezingaphuca owesifazane osemusha ebuntwaneni bakhe nomndeni wakhe.
U-Mercy Esther wazalwa enokukhubazeka onyaweni olulodwa, okubangela ukuxhuga okuzwakalayo. Emigwaqweni yaseNairobi yena nezinye izingane baphoqwa ukuba banxibe. Watshelwa ukuba enze sengathi akakwazi ukuhamba, ukuze azwele emphakathini. Usuku ngalunye, imali ayeyiqoqile yayithathwa kuye.
Ngolunye usuku, lapho ecela, u-Mercy Esther weza kowesifazane owathembisa umsebenzi wakhe wasendlini kanye nezithembiso ezengeziwe: ikhaya elisha, iholo nokuphathwa kahle. Wahamba nalona wesifazane, kodwa esikhundleni salokho uMercy Esther wahlukunyezwa futhi akazange ayithole imali yokusebenza kwakhe. Kwakuzothatha iminyaka eyisithupha ngaphambi kokuba abaleke.
Okuningi okuvela ku-CNN Freedom Project
Ngosizo lwamaphoyisa aseNairobi nohulumeni waseKenya nowaseTanzania, uMercy Esther wabuyela ezweni azalelwa kulo, kodwa ngaphandle kwemininingwane yedolobhana akhulele kulo, iziphathimandla zamfaka ngaphansi kokunakekela kweWoteSawa Domestic Workers Organisation, enesikhungo sokukhosela. wezingane ezishushumbiswayo eMwanza, ogwini lweLake Victoria, enyakatho yezwe.
“ITanzania iyizwe elihle nelinokuthula, kodwa kunohlangothi olumnyama,” kusho u-Angela Benedicto, umsunguli nomqondisi wale nhlangano.
“Abantu abaningi badla imbuya ngothi, kanti ukusebenza ngempoqo kuyinkinga enkulu,” enezela. “Uhlobo olujwayeleke kakhulu lokushushumbiswa kwabantu eTanzania ukugqilazwa ekhaya, amantombazane asemancane aphoqwa ukuba enze umsebenzi wasendlini. Babhekene nokuhlukunyezwa, ukuxhashazwa, futhi abakhokhelwa ngomsebenzi wabo.”
Cishe izingane eziyisigidi – ikakhulukazi amantombazane – zenza umsebenzi wasekhaya eTanzania, ngokusho kwenhlangano engenzi nzuzo i-Anti-Slavery International.
IWoteSawa yasungulwa ngo-2014 futhi minyaka yonke ithatha izingane ezingaba ngu-75 ezeqa ukushushumbiswa. Isikhala sincane: izingane zilala ezimbili embhedeni. Abanye bahlala isikhathi eside kunabanye, kusho uBenedicto, ikakhulukazi labo abathintekayo emacaleni obugebengu, njengoba ukushushiswa kungathatha isikhathi. Kuze kube manje, inhlangano engenzi nzuzo isisize amakhulukhulu abasindile, kodwa izidingo zinkulu kunezinsiza ezitholakalayo. U-Benedicto unephupho lokwakhela izingane ezengeziwe indawo yokukhosela.
Inhloso yakhe wukuhlomisa abasebenzi basezindlini kanye nokulwela amalungelo abo. Yindaba eseduze nenhliziyo yakhe; naye uke waba isisebenzi sasendlini. “Ngabhekana nokuhlukunyezwa nokuxhashazwa, kodwa ngakwazi ukukhuluma,” uyachaza. “Abasebenzi basezindlini abaningi abakwazi ukukhuluma. Ubani ozobakhulumela?
Ngisebenzisa indaba yami ukubatshela ukuthi, ‘Ningapheli amandla.’
IWoteSawa isho ukuthi “bonke bayalingana” ngesiSwahili. Kule ndawo yokukhosela izingane zihlaliswa futhi zinikezwe ukwelulekwa ngokwengqondo nokusekelwa ngokomthetho. Baphinde bathole imfundo yokufunda, ukubhala nokubala, namakhono omsebenzi njengokuthunga. Ukubuyisela izingane emfundweni kusebenza ngokuhambisana nemizamo yokuhlanganisa izingane nabathandekayo bazo, “ukuze uma sebebuyela emindenini yabo, bangakwazi ukuzisiza bona kuphela, kodwa basize imindeni yabo,” kusho uBenedicto.
ULydia uhlala esifundeni saseNgara ezintabeni zaseNtshonalanga yeTanzania. Wahamba ekhaya waya emsebenzini wasendlini eneminyaka engu-16, kodwa washaywa umqashi wakhe wangakhokhelwa ngomsebenzi wakhe. Waphunyuka wasizwa ngabakwaWoteSawa, lapho afunda khona ukuthunga. ULydia ubuyele emndenini wakhe ephethe umshini wokuthunga awuhlinzekwa ngabakwaWoteSawa futhi namuhla ungumthungi wezingubo onamaphupho esitolo sakhe.
“Wenza imali eyanele ukondla umndeni wakhe,” kusho uBenedicto. “Iphupho lakhe wukusiza amanye amantombazane asemancane akwazi ukuthunga. Unohlelo lokubuyisela emphakathini.”
Kanye nokusiza abasinde ekuhwebeni, iWoteSawa isebenzela ukukunqanda ukuthi kungenzeki. U-Benedicto uxhumanisa nama-ejenti edepho yamabhasi ngokubheka izingane ezincane, kanye namaphoyisa endawo anamandla okungenelela.
“Inhloso yami wukuqinisekisa (icala) lokushushumbiswa kwabantu liqedwa – ngokuphelele. Futhi kungenxa yemfundo esingayithola (lokho),” kusho umkhuzi wamaphoyisa uJuma Jumanne. “Kumele sifundise imindeni. Kufanele simfundise isisulu, yena uqobo. Kufanele sifundise nomphakathi wonkana.”
Ngesikhathi uMercy Ester efika endaweni yokukhosela wayemanqika ukusho igama lendawo yangakubo ngoba esaba ukuthi uzophinde ashushumbiswe uma ebuyela khona. Kodwa ekugcineni wawushintsha umqondo.
I-CNN ihlangane noMercy Esther nge-Kulczyk Foundation ezinze ePoland, eyeseka iWoteSawa.
IWonkeSawa yakwazi ukuthola umndeni wayo, yathatha ugogo wayo kanye nezingane zakubo yabayisa endaweni yokukhosela. Kwase kuphele iminyaka eyisishiyagalombili bagcinana. “Kwakungokomzwelo kakhulu,” kusho uBenedicto. “Bakhala, bangana. Ngicabanga ukuthi sonke sasinomunyu. Sasichiphiza izinyembezi zenjabulo.”
U-Mercy Esther akakakhululeki ngombono wokubuyela endaweni yakubo futhi ukhethe ukuhlala endaweni yokukhosela aze abe mdala, futhi unekhono elanele lokuba umthungi ukuze aqale ibhizinisi ukuze asize ukondla umndeni wakhe.
“Ikusasa lakhe liqhakazile,” kusho uBenedicto. “Ngiyabona ukuthi uzoba yisibani ezinganeni zakwabo.”
