Women entrepreneurs....... Constance starts own restaurant to break dependency syndrome

By ANN ZULU

GONE are the days when men were men, and women were owned by those who could afford them.

But nowadays women do not have to rely on men to survive or meet their daily obligations.

Constance preparing meal for her customers

With the current economic situation, women either married or single are required to be financially independent.

Although the Zambian culture indicates that it is the primary responsibility of the husband to provide for the needs of his wife and family, there is need for women to complement the efforts and contributions of men.

For instance, there are certain needs of women that may not be provided for by their husbands, especially when they are personal.

Constance Lungu, 34, runs a restaurant at Lusaka’s famous ‘‘Matebeto’’ in Lusaka’s Thorn Park area.

Apart from being a business lady, Constance is married and has four children.

She said she decided to open a restaurant because she wanted to provide for her personal needs and also assist her husband in taking care of the family.

She praised her husband for having supported her and helped her with the capital to start her business.

“My husband is a very good man, he always supports me when I am doing something right and of benefit to the family. I decided to open a restaurant because I realised that my husband was struggling to look after the family alone, so I saw the need for me to help him as his wife.

“Through my restaurant business, I am now able to provide for my own needs and that of the family. I don’t always have to ask for money from my husband to buy myself something or for the family,” Constance said.

She encouraged other women to engage in business, saying that there were a lot of business opportunities that they could venture in.

Ms Lungu believes that women too could make it in the business sector just as their male counterparts.

She added that employment did not only mean working for somebody but that one should be innovative and generate ideas that would even create jobs for others.

“There are a variety of business opportunities in this country that can be seized and exploited, all we need is for women to get out of their comfort zones and identify their skills and pursue such opportunities,” she said.

She reiterated the need for women to change their mindset and stop being dependent on men.

She said financial independence among women would also help to reduce the high levels of Gender Based Violence (GBV) against women in Zambia, as dependence on men was one of the causes of the vice.

“Being dependent on men is old fashioned and we need to stop that. Women must endeavour to be financially independent because dependency on men is one of the causes of GBV. Some men are difficult and stingy when it comes to money and this might even bring about a fight,” she said.

Ms Lungu advised women to be disciplined in the manner they handled their earnings and urged them to develop a culture of saving as opposed to spending all the money they earned.

“Women also need to cultivate the habit of saving; this is very important because the money saved can help them during their rainy day or invest in something big,” she said.