Bulawayo Social Worker Washington Jiri talking to parents and caregivers, children and youths, Mandlunja, Village, Mbembesi In Mutoko one community was empowered to stand up against a headman who had subjected them to forced labour and exploitation since 2008, forcing them to work in his fields without any form of remuneration or compensation. Immediately after the workshop one participant indicated that: “We are summoned to work in his fields each year and all 36 villages take turns to do forced labour for him. Thank you for coming to bring the light on the law. We will see to it that the practice stops.” The participants then challenged their exploitation, which did not go down well with the headman. He tried to bar the LRF from conducting activities, accusing the organisation of “opening his people’s eyes”. However the District Administrator intervened and undertook to talk to the headman and in our follow-up evaluation it was noted that the headman was no longer subjecting members of the community to forced labour The District Administrator later enabled the LRF to conduct workshops targeting traditional leaders in the area, to enlighten them on the law and the need to respect people’s rights. “I have learnt that communities can resolve conflicts well if they respect individual rights.” A total of 70,381 people were reached through the outreach sessions over the past year. Women being empowered 9