Women Empowerment Through Vocational Skills Project

About

Location: Malawi
Key(s): Economic Empowerment, Education

Chitani Community Sustainable Development Organization (CHICOSUDO), based in Malawi is piloting a new project in which they aim to empower disadvantaged and unemployed women through providing training in vocational skills. The organization’s mission is to improve the economic status of women and survivors of child marriages by providing skills that will enable them to have self reliance by enhancing their productivity at home and participation in community development.

In Malawi, the poverty rate is high, and as a result there is a high incidence of gender-based violence, child abuse, and a lack of options for young women and children. Many women do not have the ability to make choices in their families, and are pressured to leave school in order to marry young or work in the home. Women who have not completed school have no access to vocational training or forms of higher education, which often leads to complete dependence on their husbands.

CHICOSUDO is aiming to break this cycle with their new project which is specifically aimed toward helping 20 women who are both survivors of child marriages and single mothers to teens and young adults. They have also determined that this project will also indirectly benefit 105 additional people including children and relatives of the women.

The goal of the project is to empower the survivors of child marriages and single mothers by equipping them with skills, tools and support to become self-reliant. CHICOSUDO will train these women in stitching, tailoring and embroidery. The organization has previously sponsored two women to receive professional training in these areas, and they will serve as the leaders of this training project. The organization will also provide business training and solicit the help of local businesses and agencies to support the women and connect them to potential markets as they prepare to begin their own businesses.

Additionally, the program will hold weekly meetings with participants and a community health worker to educate and raise awareness surrounding issues of sexual reproductive health, women’s rights and other social issues affecting the community. Upon completion of the program, CHICOSUDO will introduce a Savings and Internal Lending Community (SILC) program to help the women start their businesses. At the end of the six month training period, the participants will take the Technical Education, Vocation and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) exam and receive official certificates. The group will also organize a number of market fairs to sell their products.

CHICOSUDO believes that this project will lead to increased access to capital, reduced poverty, reduced unemployment, and an overall enhanced quality of life for survivors of child marriages. Not only will this project improve the lives of these women, but it will help break the cycle of women being subjected to child marriages in the future.