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Kasungu women, youths in self-empowerment drive

Women and youth from Traditional Authority (T/A) Lukwa in Kasungu are now making use of their idle time and becoming economically empowered through agri-business activities.

One of the women’s groups, Tiyanjane, which has 20 members, has been supplying leaf vegetables to Linyangwa Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) while selling some at the local markets. The money realised is channelled to Village Savings and Loan groups.

The women busy in their vegetable garden

The group’s treasurer, Chimwemwe Chindzukira, said in 2017, her group started with a small garden, irrigating using water drawn from the borehole, and their two harvests were supplied to the CDSS.

“We also cultivated soya beans last season and harvested 31 bags of 50 kilogrammes [kg] each,” she said.

Similarly, women and youths at Kawiru in the same area are expecting to rake in about K500 000 from their 18 bags of soya.

The women and youths are among the beneficiaries of the K305 million Oxfam Ireland-funded project being implemented by Circle for Integrated Community Development (Cicod) in partnership with Oxfam Malawi. “We encourage working in groups because it gives them easier access to loans and higher bargaining power to traders interested to buy the produce,” said Cicod director, Amos Tizora.

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