Acquire vocational skills, Mchinji women urged
Centre for Research and Development Initiative programmes manager Florida Banda has urged women from Traditional Authority (T/A) Kazyozyo in Mchinji to participate in vocational and entrepreneurship training the organisation is offering in the district.
She made the call on Saturday when the organisation engaged the women on the use of fixed mud cooking stoves as an intervention to cut firewood collection activities.
Banda said they noted that the women were failing to attend the training because they spent more time looking for firewood and cooking.
She said: “When we launched the vocational and entrepreneurship programme in March this year, 550 people, including women and girls, registered.
“However, more women are not attending the trainings because of domestic chores.”
Banda said that using mud cooking stoves will save time and enable the women to get the training in welding, motorcycle repairing, basket weaving and business management.
On her part, group village head Chirira also encouraged the women to participate in the training.
She said: “While the majority of women who registered for the course are not participating, there are two who are set to graduate in motorbike repairing and welding and fabrication.
“I don’t travel a long distance to weld my bicycle,” she said.
Veronica Zulu, who graduated in welding and fabrication, encouraged her fellow trainees to take the course seriously.
“I am now able to generate my own income,” she said.
Centre for Research and Development Initiative is targeting 3 000 households in T/As Simphasi, Kazyozyo and Kapondo to use the cooking stoves.
With funding from Commonwealth Learning (Canada), the organisation is implementing Tigwirane Manja Project which seeks to improve lives of women and girls through vocational skills and entrepreneurship.
