"I AM DAILY ROBBED OF MY INNOCENT GIRLS" by Betty Makoni in memory of little girls who died as a result of rape

Death, death like Brutal Brutus
Remember the historical bloody murder
So cruel and so unkind
Uncaring and no courtesy
You come like a robber by the night
To rob me of my passion, my lifeline
My girls my little innocent girls
I am daily robbed of my innocent girls

Two of them I remember clinging to breath
Faith the little baby girl from Rusape rural
Watched her taken from the freezing cold
Just wrapped round with torn rags
By the arms grandma held her
She wept endlessly, flows and flows of tears
I cuddled her into my own hands
Into the car we drove to the graveyard
There thousands of other little girls heard me make them prayers
If no life dignity , then last body viewing your last dignity Feyi
I saluted you my innocent girl, Faith
I am daily robbed of my innocent girls

From Norton, mid July 2004 broke news of one Norton girl
He raped her, brutally murdered her
He wanted her genital organs for ritual purposes
Such beauty, innocence swamped into a coffin
What loss, grief, death, murder, brutal murder
The worst murder, rapist he is
Some let my little girls live on after rape, the first murder
This one raped, extracted bodily parts, murdered her
Reason not pronounced for this is brutal murder
Pain, panic, my little girls perish just so
Oh my own little girls, my innocent little girls my own life
I am daily robbed of my innocent girls

Wish they were all here to sing, “Betty Makoni----“
Like you they initially murdered me
Memory from Chivhu murdered , infected with the deadly virus
Died, too scared to break silence, too intimidated
Simply said, “ Girl Child Network should continue”
Spirit lingers on my little girls, so brave so strong
Endured it all, injured you were, reason not pronounced
Male dominance, overpowering the most vulnerable
I am robbed of my little innocent girls

Totally robbed, just remnants and girls’ memories
Daily raped, used, abused, overused
Daily cornered, sexually harassed, suffocated
Reason not pronounced, just brutal rape and murder
As if we only the desires men hunger for
So many infected and affected by AIDS
They think they are a cure for AIDS
How dare I let go robbers, rapists of my little innocent girls
Next time you rob, you rape one of them
If not death then curse you for life
My sword up, my dagger up
Communities swords up, their daggers up
Up forever by our front doors
To stop this robbery, brutal murder of my innocent girls
Sick and tired of this daily robbery of my innocent girls

One day we assemble my little girls
Raped, half murdered from all walks of life
With tears flowing down our cheeks
We want justice, compensation and compassion
Wear your black in memory of Faith, Memory, Isabel and them all
For they died, fighting, struggling
March we will do to the fathers of this country
Every bail should be reversed
Raped, half murdered by rapists, murderers
Show them our tattered torn genital organs
What brutality, cruelty, for murder is rape
Rape is murder, oh no murder is rape
I am daily robbed of my innocent little girls

Way home, way to school
Tie them innocent souls to your hands
Tell them Betty Makoni witnesses so many rape cases of minors daily, hourly
She mourns, weeps even more and more
This is death of my passion, robbed of my constituency
Armour of my activism, my little girls, my little innocent girls
I am very bitter, angered, evoked
For I am robbed of my little innocent girls

(This poem was written by Betty Makoni – Director of Girl Child Network in memory of little girls who died as a result of rape)

Betty Makoni putting a stop to Zimbabwe's rapes

At the end of the summer, I am planning on going to Zimbabwe to film a documentary about Betty Makoni and the Girl Child Network. Betty is an incredible human being. I came to know Betty in March of 2007 through an introduction by my friend, Paola Gianturco. Last year, Paola and I had gone to a Global Fund for Women event in San Francisco. It was at that luncheon that she had mentioned the plight of young girls in Zimbabwe. She spoke of Africa’s traditional healers who were guiding AIDS infected men in Zimbabwe to rape virgins to cure their disease; this includes their own daughters. I was horrified, but having had tremendous luck in catching every exotic parasite when I traveled internationally, I did not even think of going to Africa.

About a year later, Paola invited me to meet her at the International Women’s Day 2007 event presented by IDEX at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco, featuring Betty Makoni. When I called IDEX for a ticket, Sarah Dotlich, who is the Africa Program Director, answered the phone. Less than a week later and the morning of Betty’s speaking event, I found myself sitting across from Betty Makoni and Sara. Wow. It happened so fast. Betty stood with this big hug smile and lots of black hair, pulled together in a pony tail. I could feel her determination, and she was so genuine in her passion and beliefs. We shared our childhood stories and talked about sharing her story with the world. I gave her my short film on child-sexual abuse, "Flashcards" and she held it to her chest. The act of clutching those materials to her chest was so endearing to me! She actually valued a film and curriculum that helped educated people on abuse, something that has not been my experience in the United States. I suggested I ship the materials to Zimbabwe so that she did not have to carry them with her. She said no. She did not want them out of her hands.

That night, she was introduced at the World Affairs Council event by Walter Turner, who is a professor of History and Ethnic Studies at the College of Marin and Chair of the Department. He is also the President of the Board of Directors for Global Exchange. As these two individuals engaged in conversation and I listened to Betty talk, I started to weep. I don’t know what made me cry, as I am a public speaker and I talk about my own sexual abuse as a child to large audiences often. I even co-authored a book called, “This Is Not The Life I Ordered”, which talks about my abuse. Here I was being reduced to a puddle by her fierce protectiveness of the girls and her absolute conviction. She didn’t get caught up in the feminist bullshit that many of us do in the United States. “Women have a voice” she says as a matter of fact, “and I am going to die using it if I have to”.

Since Betty has gone home, we have been coordinating the details and logistics for the trip and documentary. I have recently asked her to start sharing her daily stories so that I can share them with others. I get notes from her when she has electricity. Last week she wrote me from her computer in the dark. Here is what she wrote:

“Today, I am out to help in the burial of a ten year old girl. She died today of HIV and AIDS as a result of rape. Her body has been lying in the home for 6 hours because due to poverty they could not afford the funds to hire a truck to take the body away. I arrive there at 10 pm and give some help. Tomorrow the uncle buries her and what pain I have to see such innocence lost. I will pay my courtesy call to the girl and try to make her a decent burial and eternal rest. Then this Sunday in Rural Mutasa, we will go to a village where a church leader allegedly raped 7 girls and he is behind bars. Two of them were herding cattle and one girl took her torn clothes with blood stains and this must have traumatized a lot of people-it is so sad.

I will be back on Monday and pass through the Girls Empowerment Village and meet rape survivors you will all meet when you come.

I will email about my experiences and what I would have seen. This is part of what I enjoy doing, being in the remote parts of the country listening to many stories and offering help wherever I can. That way I heal. I just leave my home without anywhere specific to go.”

This is the beginnings of an amazing story that needs to be told. Help us do that.

You can send a donation to the Girl Child Network through FreshWater Haven.

Please make your check out to: FreshWater Haven
Mail to:
455 Old La Honda Road
Woodside, CA 94062

More to come…