Entrepreneurs

Why women need empowerment?

Women have traditionally been marginalised. Early marriages, less education, fewer jobs, lower salaries, unwanted pregnancy affect the girl child more than the boy. Women are beaten and raped more often than men yet when a woman is empowered; the benefits go further than just to her alone, they cascade to her family, her parents, the community and the nation. Already in Zimbabwe, women are the major drivers of the economy. They are the majority of the population and most single families are headed by women. Studies show that a woman is more likely to spend money on her family when she earns than a man. Thus although women earn less, they use that a little more effectively than the more that men earn. Furthermore, women have a better savings, culture and tend to be a better credit risk than men.

How Do We Plan on Empowering Women?

We have developed a multi-pronged approach to women empowerment starting from the grassroots. We intend to work with girls as young as eight years old and all the way up to forty years old. Eight year olds should be introduced to money and savings so as to be aware and empowered by the time they are teenagers. We believe this will reduce teenage pregnancy, early marriages and new HIV infections as a lot of sexual activity between teens and adults for financial gain and there is ignorance on how to refuse. Furthermore, a financially empowered teenager will be aware of her true value and potential. Even if she were to fall pregnant, she would be in a position to look after herself and her baby and even continue her education, thus ensuring a bright future for both generations. We also plan on empowering women through training them on how to save, borrow, start a business, repay loans, invest in other businesses and mentor younger women. Through the training program, we will impart valuable life skills and entrepreneurial training. Through the SACCO we will have faster savings, networking, lending and mutual support of mentors by all others. We aspire to create an energetic, fun-filled and inspiring learning environment for all participants.