“Educated, Empowered and Inspired” tell their stories of transformation from the ILO-Sida Economic Empowerment Project
Representatives from ILO, SIDA and Government of Zimbabwe visited four Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) supported by the Corridor Economic Empowerment Project at Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, which mobilized the Ministry of SMEs to donate an unused clothing warehouse and established businesses for their members.
4 December 2015
Harare (ILO News): Representatives of ILO, SIDA and Government of Zimbabwe visited four Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) which are supported by the Corridor Economic Empowerment Project at Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe on December 4, 2015. The SACCOs in Chitungwiza have been able to mobilize the Ministry of SMEs to donate an unused clothing warehouse in which they have established businesses for their members. The Government has also donated some sewing machines to one of the groups, helping them to establish their clothing businesses.
On the side lines of ICASA 2015, the ILOAIDS Director Alice Ouedraogo, and the SIDA Regional Adviser for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), Kim Sundstrom were among the over seventy people who assembled at the premises of a SACCO benefitting 75 women, girls and men, including people living with HIV/AIDS and some with disabilities. Officials from the Ministry of Small to Medium Enterprises, the Project Advisory Committee representatives from the Small Enterprise Development Corporation (SEDCO), ILOAIDS, SIDA and the Corridor Economic Empowerment Project (CEEP) team were also present. The visit provided an opportunity to highlight the impact that the CEEP initiative has had on the lives of beneficiaries’ as narrated by the beneficiaries themselves.
In a testimony, a representative of the beneficiaries with disabilities narrated how being a woman, disabled and poor exposes them to HIV. She explained how their physical disabilities had made it difficult for them to access schools, which had virtually consigned them to a life of poverty.
After attending an HIV and business management training course, the group started a Matemba Project (dried fish). This has resulted in improved nutrition, access to health and access to education for them and their family members. A highlight of one of these changes is that one of the beneficiaries has bought herself a car which is an epoch event in her life and her dependents.
Another group of beneficiaries called Power Circle SACCO also shared its experiences. Their members completed training in business management, leadership and HIV. In addition to operating a monthly savings and lending scheme, the group borrowed $3000 which it successfully repaid and the members have since accessed a second loan of $7000 to support their individual projects, largely in the retail sub-sector. A donation of sewing machines by the Government of Zimbabwe has further helped them to improve their productivity and income levels. This has put them in a position to compete and secure orders from big retail companies to supply their products which include children’s clothing and overalls..
The Chairperson of the Peanut Butter Processing SACCO, another of the CEEP projects, whose members also received training like the other groups, increased their production and started selling peanut butter to local supermarkets. Besides growing the business, their confidence levels have been boosted to the extent that they took their product to the 2014 Malawi Agricultural show where they learnt a lot in terms of export marketing. The chairperson highlighted that the project has helped their members to build houses, send children to school and comfortably deal with HIV related costs.
In her statement of appreciation, Ms Ouedraogo thanked the SIDA representative and the Government of Zimbabwe for the financial and material support that had enabled the project to transform so many lives in Chitungwiza.
Kim Sundstrom, SIDA Regional Representative SRH, Alice Ouedraogo ILOAIDS Director (carrying a child) and the CEEP beneficiary
On the side lines of ICASA 2015, the ILOAIDS Director Alice Ouedraogo, and the SIDA Regional Adviser for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), Kim Sundstrom were among the over seventy people who assembled at the premises of a SACCO benefitting 75 women, girls and men, including people living with HIV/AIDS and some with disabilities. Officials from the Ministry of Small to Medium Enterprises, the Project Advisory Committee representatives from the Small Enterprise Development Corporation (SEDCO), ILOAIDS, SIDA and the Corridor Economic Empowerment Project (CEEP) team were also present. The visit provided an opportunity to highlight the impact that the CEEP initiative has had on the lives of beneficiaries’ as narrated by the beneficiaries themselves.
In a testimony, a representative of the beneficiaries with disabilities narrated how being a woman, disabled and poor exposes them to HIV. She explained how their physical disabilities had made it difficult for them to access schools, which had virtually consigned them to a life of poverty.
“We were kept out of traditional streams of schooling and are now expected to undertake menial jobs at home, e.g. cleaning. Existing community based HIV prevention initiatives consider us as asexual and as such not at risk.”
After attending an HIV and business management training course, the group started a Matemba Project (dried fish). This has resulted in improved nutrition, access to health and access to education for them and their family members. A highlight of one of these changes is that one of the beneficiaries has bought herself a car which is an epoch event in her life and her dependents.
Another group of beneficiaries called Power Circle SACCO also shared its experiences. Their members completed training in business management, leadership and HIV. In addition to operating a monthly savings and lending scheme, the group borrowed $3000 which it successfully repaid and the members have since accessed a second loan of $7000 to support their individual projects, largely in the retail sub-sector. A donation of sewing machines by the Government of Zimbabwe has further helped them to improve their productivity and income levels. This has put them in a position to compete and secure orders from big retail companies to supply their products which include children’s clothing and overalls..
The Chairperson of the Peanut Butter Processing SACCO, another of the CEEP projects, whose members also received training like the other groups, increased their production and started selling peanut butter to local supermarkets. Besides growing the business, their confidence levels have been boosted to the extent that they took their product to the 2014 Malawi Agricultural show where they learnt a lot in terms of export marketing. The chairperson highlighted that the project has helped their members to build houses, send children to school and comfortably deal with HIV related costs.
In her statement of appreciation, Ms Ouedraogo thanked the SIDA representative and the Government of Zimbabwe for the financial and material support that had enabled the project to transform so many lives in Chitungwiza.