Yolanda Mlilo, Sunday Life Reporter
FOLLOWING its launch earlier this year, Gentlemen of Today (GOT), an organisation championed by Thembalezizwe Church Pastors, Taurai Sithole and Madiwa Mapungwana is providing a safe space for men who might be suffering silently because of a lot of problems they keep bottling up.
The organisation is funded by the church and well-wishers from around the community and was first launched in Trenance, Bulawayo to empower men of all age groups emotionally, socially, psychologically, physically and financially.
In an interview with Sunday Life, Pastor Mapungwana, the assistant director of GOT highlighted that the mission of the organisation is to reach out to all men young and old, believers and non-believers and empower them.
“The organisation was launched in Trenance and will spread to cover the entire Ward Two and then spread to other wards until we are everywhere in the country. We aim to keep expanding to cover even the whole of Africa,” he said.
“The creation of this organisation was done after a serious observation that men are being left out in several programmes and associations that empower women, young girls and female youths,” he said.
Pastor Mapungwana added that men are failing to cope as society expects them to be strong, which has led to increased cases of high blood pressure, stress and depression.
“Some men became abusers as they felt threatened by the empowered women hence the increase in gender-based violence. So, our organisation seeks to equip men for the empowered women and usher in a gentleman’s way that teaches men to support women at all times even if women seem to create more wealth than them,” he said.
He added: “By nature, a man is a very closed-up person who does not share his problems easily with anyone. The organisation was therefore formed to create a friendly atmosphere that will enable men to open up on challenges in their lives. We are trying to find a better way of helping men even if they may feel they do not need help.
“Due to the economic problems in our country, men need capital to start projects and GOT will mobilise them to start self-help groups that will put resources together and approach financial institutions to fund projects and other things that may be necessary.”
Pastor Mapungwana said the organisation was also keeping track of the results and their achievements.
“As we reach out to men, we keep statistical data of those that we have reached, there is also an organisation that works with women that we work with, that way we identify needs and exchange notes and feedback. We also have a monitoring and evaluation team that does one-on-one interviews with the men that we reached out to,” he said.