International Day of Rural Women: UDM Women’s Organisation calls for recognition of women [SOUND]

# As the world commemorates the International Day of Rural Women today, the UDM Women’s Organisation is calling for the recognition of women, not as beneficiaries of policy, but as partners in shaping the nation’s future. Secretary-general, Thandi Nontenja says across South Africa’s villages and farmlands, rural women anchor the food systems and local economies, yet their contribution remains undervalued and under-supported. She says many continue to face barriers to owning or inheriting land and limited access to clean water and energy: