Zayed Solar Academy equips 29 women in Nkhata Bay

Twenty-nine women in Nkhata Bay have commended Zayed Solar Academy for equipping them with skills in electronics and entrepreneurship.

The women, from rural areas in the district, started their training in July. A certain company, Sunny Money, has since contracted them to repair 10 000 faulty switchboards for solar lamps.

The women will also travel to Zambia to fix other faulty switchboards.

In an interview, one of the women, Elizabeth Chirwa from Khwelenje Village in Traditional Authority Fukamalaza, said the training has changed her life.

“We had nothing to do until we saw an advert from Zayed about training in electronics,” she said.

Chirwa said their nine months training has empowered them to offer  services, including fixing cell phones in villages.

One of the founders of the school, Gail Swithenbank, said Zayed, with European Union funding offered free training to women with limited education to empower them economically.

“The women will stay in their villages and earn a living through fixing of cell phones among others,” she said.

The school started offering courses in solar system installation and maintenance in 2014.