GEWE Project Steering Committee visits Chiradzulu district

Members of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) for the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Programme visited some of the project sites in Chiradzulu district to interact with beneficiaries on the ground. The PSC which is chaired by the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare is mandated to oversee programme implementation and provide strategic policy direction to the programme. Other members of the committee include Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Transport and Public Works, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Ministry of Finance, National Aids Commission, NGO Gender Coalition Network, European Union and UNFPA.

The members visited Mikolongwe Vocational School where they interacted with 20 disadvantaged women and girls from TA Kadewere and TA Nchema which are being drilled in tailoring, bricklaying and hair dressing as part of economic empowerment initiatives. The training has been facilitated by Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) which is implementing the GEWE programme in Chiradzulu district and efforts are being made to provide start-up equipment to these women which will be graduating soon after undergoing a 4 month long training.

Members noted that the intervention was generally good and that it had potential to empower women economically if properly implemented. However, PSC members advised that a comprehensive approach that goes beyond provision of training and start-up tool kits needs to be undertaken in future interventions if women are to be empowered economically and socially.

“Though this intervention is being done in good faith, similar future interventions should be guided by a gender analysis which critically assesses the implications of these interventions on beneficiaries’ roles in society as women, their spouses and children. Communities out there still expect these women to execute their designated roles and therefore any intervention that these women are supported with should not be an extra work load to their already busy schedule”. Observed Dorothy Nyasulu, UNFPA Assistant Representative. 

“Interventions like these require deliberate efforts that target spouses of these women so as to address power imbalances at household level particularly on control of income that will be generated from these businesses. You also need to secure commitment from the spouses that they will fully support these women to establish their businesses once they complete this training.” she added.

PSC members also urged DAPP to assist these women in coming up with comprehensive business plans once they graduate so that they are able to establish the level of profitability, cash projections and risks associated with the businesses they want to embark on. “It is only through a business plan that these women can assess whether tailoring, bricklaying or hairdressing will be profitable or not in their locality. In fact, business plans will assist these women to assess whether financing their businesses through a bank loan will be feasible considering the levels of cash projections.” observed PSC members.

Wrapping up the field visit, Director of Gender Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Mr. Peter Msefula advised DAPP to ensure that business management skills is integrated into trainings of these nature; and that regular follow up visits should be made to these women once they graduate so that they are assisted to effectively put into practice what they have learnt.