Women’s economic empowerment

By Fortunate Gunde

MAKONDE–THE Ministry of Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprises Development is providing financial support and offering training in business management, marketing, farming and detergent making, to women in efforts to empower them.
The ministry first trains the women, and after training they then register their co-operatives so that they do not have problems.
In an interview with Telegraph, the Ministry’s District Development Officer, Fungai Sadzi, said they were training people in small groups since they had many people.
“Tinonyanyo dealer in groups of 40-50 people. We train a manageable group because we have a lot of people vatino kurudzira kuti vaite mabasa emaoko kuitira kuti vararame. It was designed for women who could not access loans in banks since they have no collateral, and also creates employment for women and strengthens their businesses,” said Sadzi.
There were Community Development Co-ordinators, who provide them with information, then the Ministry organises trainings with specialists from the community, who then train them in various skills like how to bake bread, an example being Two Tree in Ward 3, where they have tsotso ovens that the women are using for baking.
“Vanhu vanogara vari busy kubika chingwa nemabuns, panguva isiri yechirimo kana iri nguva yekurima vanozviita musi wechisi,” said Sadzi.
These women are small-scale farmers, who do market gardening such as growing tomatoes and potatoes. They use the money earned to pay school fees and provide a balanced diet for their families.
The women are also advised on how to use their money wisely and invest in income-generating projects.
“Women are also into manufacturing such as maputi nechibage chavanenge vakarima chiya vachishandisa machine yeku putitsa chibage ichi”.
Sadzi said they reached out to all the areas depending on what the person is specialising on.
“Tinobata maareas ose zvichienderana nezviri kuda kuitwa nemunhu kuti anoda kubatsirwa through zvipi, Ministry inobatsira how to market the products such as packaging,” she said.
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