Social Protection for Gender Empowerment and Resilience Programme has transformed the livelihoods of women in Mzimba District through seed capital support.
With funding from donors such as the European Union, Ireland and the Government of Malawi provided through Unicef, M’mbelwa District Council in Mzimba and its implementing partner Creative Centre for Community Mobilisation disbursed seed capital to businesswomen.
The beneficiaries are those under Social Cash Transfer Programme initiative and in village savings and loans (VSL) groups.
One of the beneficiaries, Grace Ngoma from Alifeyo Village in Traditional Authority Mzikubola, said the K500 000 she received enabled her to invest in livestock farming and expand her tailoring business.
“Cattle farming is a profitable business in Mzimba. I bought a cow because I know it will provide good returns once it starts reproducing,” she said.
Ngoma said she spent K300 000 on the cow and used the remaining funds to buy materials for her tailoring business.
“I am now able to run my tailoring business more effectively and generate money to buy food and other necessities for my family,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Enala Mhango, said she invested her K500 000 seed capital in goat farming.
Kalulutira VSL Group representative Benjamin Boloboza Hara said they ventured into pig farming.
“We are raising nine pigs as a group and plan to diversify to other businesses,” he said.
M’mbelwa District Council community development officer Winnie Migodi said 450 female-led business enterprises and 300 VSL groups benefitted from the seed capital.
Mzimba trade officer Chimwemwe Sichinga said they also expect savings and loans groups to grow into clusters and larger business entities such as cooperatives.
