Tinaani Nyabereka
Gweru- Ebenezzar Women Social Entrepreneurship Trust (EWSET) in partnership with SowHope has initiated a poverty alleviation project to help empower women in Gweru.
The project is expected to empower women to start income generating projects that include soap and vaseline making in order to create a brand and market the products.
The project is set to emancipate 100 women before expanding to other Midlands constituencies as women are struggling to take care of families due to prevailing economic hardships.
Speaking at the first phase of the training in Mkoba recently, EWSET director, Florence Guzha said a number of women were expected to benefit as the initiative is expected to give economic emancipation to women.
She said as an organisation they were going to sponsor the first phase of the project, beneficiaries were expected to sustain the project going forward and grow through working in clubs
“We thought of challenges women face in the modern society, remember a mother who is struggling to put food on the table as she doesn’t have any means of sourcing income. Who also face abuse as she is dependent on the men always,”
“We want that woman emancipated and equipped to use her hands for the benefit of her family and her community. So we want women to make vaseline and soap which they sell locally and internationally for their upkeep. We know they are capable because we have equipped them with the necessary information and ingredients to go about the production.
“We have the other resources and more will be availed in a few month time so that we put production at full force. So the project is running in groups of 20s where we saying we are going to have first 5 groups to do the production before we move to the next constituency.” She added.
Guzha said, young women were supposed to take centre stage as such initiatives would cut dependence syndrome which is stopping them from assuming leadership roles.
“As you can witness the project is being driven by a committee which has been made by women themselves. Among the Elderly we also have young women whom we are grooming to stir developmental committees. We are open to see other projects materializing in the future as we strive create jobs for youth’s particularly young girls.” She said
Financial advisor, Fungai Gamanya said in order to stir successful projects, there was need to teach women financial issues and effective money saving methods.
“As we are dealing with women in our communities, there is what I call social clubs in which people come together and form a saving club to sustain their project such as soaps and vaseline making.
“So these women have already established their saving club which is going to see them contributing U$2 as 20 members and in doing so, in their weekly contribution in the next three months the money will enable them to buy ingredients for soap and Vaseline making.
“Their committees are led by a Chairperson up to committee members and the moneys raised is going to be deposited in the bank as all operations are constitutionally guided. Once this project sustain itself we are going move to other constituencies and equip women financial methods of capacitating their initiatives.” She added.
One of the project beneficiary, Marian Banda of Mkoba 19, said the financial stability of women was key in growing every society.
“This project is very important as it is being driven by us the beneficiaries. We are the ones who are going to sustain it as a community for the benefit of the elderly, ourselves and our children.
“We are happy because we are going to make tangible products which are going to be branded and sold at the local and international market,”
“We have learnt that as women we should not be limited, we have to be financially stable to avert some of the challenges affecting us.” She said
