FROM TEARS TO JOY: SUPPORTING WOMEN´S LIVELIHOODS SUCCESS STORIES

Prisca Kakulwa looks on as her brother Lazarus and his friend work on sewing machines at her store

By Annie Zulu

Prisca Kakulwa, 38, sits on a wooden chair at the entrance of her small shop in Chikunyu Village, Samfya District of Luapula Province as she passionately cuts fabric in readiness for sewing. Her young brother Lazarus Mulenga stands nearby and helps her arrange the pieces in order.

She is making school uniforms to sell to parents and guardians, whose children have passed the Grade Seven and Nine Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ) exams in her village and nearby villages.

From the number of uniforms sewn so far, and yet to be sown, one can tell that business is booming for Prisca and she is cashing in big.

Chikunyu village has few tailors with sewing machines, which is a plus for Prisca´s business. She reveals that she makes over K2, 000 every month from her tailoring business.

Prisca, who is a widow and mother of four, is one of the beneficiaries who received a productivity grant from the Supporting Women´s Livelihoods (SWL), a component of the Girl´s Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihoods (GEWEL) Project being implemented by the Zambian Government through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services with support from the World Bank.

The SWL initiative provides women between the ages of 19-64 in rural areas with grants of up to K3, 790, training in Life and Business skills, mentorship and helps them with setting up of Savings Groups to improve their livelihoods.

It is through the SWL programme that Prisca was able to establish her tailoring business in 2022 to earn a sustainable livelihood and feed her children.

She tells this reporter that life was unbearable before she was identified as a beneficiary of the initiative, as she was struggling to feed her family following the demise of her husband.

Despite having some knowledge about tailoring, she could not afford a sewing machine and pay rent for a store at an accessible location for her tailoring work.

“My husband who was the provider of the family died a few years ago. I had no source of income and was struggling to feed my children. I was hurting and I would sit alone and cry,” Prisca said.

However, Prisca´s struggles and tears became a thing of the past when she received a grant from the SWL initiative and since then, her whole life changed.

“Nobody has ever given me such an amount of money in my entire life, the SWL grant has really helped me a lot and my life will never be the same again. My tailoring business is doing great and I am now able to stand on my own and feed my children,” she said.

In addition to the grant, she also received training in Life and Business skills to equip her with knowledge of how to run a successful business.

“We were taught how to use the money and save part of it, so I can now apply whatever I learnt during the training in my business and that has helped me,” she said.

According to Prisca´s brother, Lazarus, his sister´s empowerment story is an indication that women have the potential to prosper and become breadwinners just like their male counterparts when empowered.

He says his sister´s business has also created employment for him as he gets paid for helping out at the shop.

“When a woman is empowered, everyone else around her gets empowered too, my sister is a great example for that. I was jobless, but I am now working, my sister is my hero,” Lazarus says.

For Norah Chilufya, 26, another beneficiary of SWL and a single mother of one from Chifunabuli District, the programme has revived her dream of attaining tertiary education which looked impossible.

Norah used her productivity grant to set up a restaurant right in the main market of the district, which gives her a profit of not less than K3, 000 per month.

She uses part of her profit to pay rentals for her restaurant, buy basic needs for herself and her child, and saves the rest for her education, as she has plans to go to nursing school.

“I didn’t do very well in my grade 12 exams, so I want to re-sit for the exams so that I can have good grades and finally pursue my dream career-nursing. I also belong to a Savings Group, and I am saving part of the money I make from my business towards my tertiary education,” Norah said.

She counselled other single mothers that having a child should not hinder them from becoming a better person and pursuing their dreams.

“It's normal to make mistakes in life because we are humans, but what is important is the lessons we learn from those mistakes. Even as a single mother one can still achieve their dreams, I encourage fellow single mothers to grab every opportunity that comes their way. I am grateful for the grant I was given and the knowledge I have gained from the SWL initiative,” she said.

Agness Chongo ,59, of Stadi Village in Kawambwa District invested her grant in Poultry and Livestock business.

She makes a profit of over K4,000 per month when business is good and has single-handendly sponsored her two children through college.

Agness Chongo tending to her chickens

“My older son is now a graduate and a certified clinician; my younger son will also be going to college this year. I can sponsor my children through my business,” she said.

And Esnart Chansa ,30, from  Lufubu village, in Mwansabombwe District said ever since she got the grant and ventured into her second-hand clothes selling business, her husband treats her with more respect.

Esnart believes that financial independence of a woman reduces chances of Gender Based Violence (GBV) among women and brings about peace in the home.

                                                        Esnart Chansa arranging clothes for sale

 “Gone are the days when women would just sit at home and wait for their husbands to provide for them. Women must start engaging in income-generating activities and assist in providing for the family, this brings peace to a home and reduces unnecessary fights among couples. This empowerment has brought so much peace in my home,” she said.

Poverty remains predominantly a rural phenomenon standing at 76.6 percent compared to 23.4 percent in urban areas, according to Zambia Statistical Agency (Zamstats) and it affects women and girls more than their male counterparts.

The high poverty level among rural women and girls has continued to disadvantage them from participating in the development of the country.

To address this challenge, the Zambian Government in collaboration with the World Bank introduced the Supporting Women´s Livelihoods (SWL) component of the Girl´s Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihood (GEWEL) Project in 2016.

Community Development and Social Services Minister Doreen Mwamba said in an interview that 91,474 women have so far been paid productivity grants since the inception of the project.

Ms. Mwamba further noted that Government is targeting to reach out to 129,400 beneficiaries at a total cost of USD 71.8 million by 2024 in 81 districts.

“Payment of the grant is being done in phases. Before receiving the grants, SWL beneficiaries are trained in Life and Business skills, the knowledge helps them run their businesses very well,” Ms. Mwamba said.

She said the initiative has also facilitated the formation of Savings Groups among the SWL beneficiaries and non-SWL beneficiaries in all implementing districts.

“A total of 4,856 Savings Groups have been formed with a membership of over 52,000, all females,” She added.

                                       Community Development and Social Services Minister-Doreen Mwamba

The SWL initiative also responds to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 5 which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Gender Activist Mary Mumba commended Government for prioritizing women empowerment especially in rural areas.

Ms. Mumba said the SWL initiative will go a long way in improving the economic life of rural women and also the well-being of their families and communities.

“Well done to Government and its partners for coming up with the SWL initiative. To empower vulnerable women and give them hope for a better life is indeed worthy of commendation,” Ms. Mumba said.

Rural women are the backbone of rural societies and the SWL initiative has proved that empowering them is key to economic development, as such, they need more empowerment opportunities.