Our vision is to empower women by teaching them marketable skills so they can take steps towards self-reliance. This project provides business training, small loans, business monitoring and counseling to 400 first time entrepreneurs impacted by HIV and AIDS in Zambia. Earnings from businesses help pay for food, rent, medicines and school expenses. Loan recipients become role models, and enjoy a higher status in the community; their children improve in health and attend school.
Forty-two percent of Zambia's population lives on less than two dollars per day, defined as extreme poverty by the UN. Low income, together with a high incidence of HIV and AIDS related deaths, has orphaned thousands of children. These children live with extended families and face malnutrition, neglect, and abuse. Most orphans are cared for by grandmothers who have never been to school, have no regular source of income, and unable to provide adequate care. They need our support and training.
Our solution is to provide business training, small loans, and ongoing business mentoring to first time women entrepreneurs. Earnings from businesses help pay for food, rent, medicines, and school expenses. With a better diet, there is an improvement in the health of the family and children can attend school. With the provision education in HIV, women come forward for testing that results in HIV prevention and spread. Loan recipients take steps toward self-reliance and are role models.
The medium term impact is better health of families, higher school attendance, more women getting tested for HIV, and reduced stigma. In addition, more women are saving regularly, and many have bank accounts. Long term impact is that the women are economically and socially empowered and enjoy a higher status. The children are educated and understand the importance of hard work. In addition, the incidence of HIV and malaria is reduced, families are more self-reliant and the community is stronger.
This project has provided additional documentation in a XLSX file (projdoc.xlsx).
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