A Unique Year
2020 was a year filled with challenges. Several programmatic changes were made to keep families safe from COVID and to minimize the impact of COVID on businesses run by loan recipients. We are happy to report that all program activities were completed in a safe manner and that none of the women enrolled got infected with COVID. Given below are a few highlights of the achievements of new women entrepreneurs in 2020 and plans for 2021.
A few highlights and achievements of the program in 2020:
Program Impact: As a result of businesses started with loan funds, all 470 families are now eating two or three meals per day, all families reported an improvement in health, more than 900 children are in school, and the women are more financially literate. Many women have completed home repair or added a room, and some women have purchased assets such as land. Our goal is to provide nutrition, health care, and education to vulnerable women and children in Zambia.
For 2021 our plan is to:
Thank you for empowering vulnerable women.
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2020 brought a whole host of unexpected challenges. However, since we know our communities well, and with a few adaptations in service delivery, none of the women or their families contracted COVID. We strengthened our business education, and training systems to ensure that there was no interruption in the delivery of services needed by the women while keeping everyone safe from COVID. Your continued support helped build the infrastructure essential for an effective response to the pandemic. Thank you! For a glimpse into a COVID education workshop watch this short video.
2021 may bring more uncertainty, but our faith in the strength of our program activities has been confirmed. Thank you for giving vulnerable women an opportunity to run successful businesses so they can pay for food, rent, medicines, and school expenses.
Sending you and your family a tsunami of love for the holiday season and for 2021.
Thanks for giving the gift of empowerment to vulnerable women in Zambia.
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With your support, this project continues to benefit more than 3,500 vulnerable women and their families in Zambia. In 2020, new loans, business training, and education was provided to more than 500 vulnerable women impacted by HIV. In addition, the women received education on COVID prevention, and PPE (masks, hand sanitizers, soap).
Program activities: Last month, 143 women received business training and loans to start businesses. The training is participative, hands on, and in the local language as most women have never been to school and many do not know how to read or write. Training (including PPE) was provided is a safe manner to prevent the spread of COVID. After completion of training, the women are provided with loans to start businesses. These newly minted entrepreneurs are now applying the business principles learned during training. Each woman will receive a total of three consecutive loans, and ongoing business mentoring. Earnings from these businesses help the women pay for food, rent, medicines and school.
Program Impact: As the women are supported through the three loan cycles, there is an improvement in the health of families, more than 800 children are attending school, and the women start saving and building assets. With a regular source of income and improved health for the whole family, the women feel empowered and families are more financially sustainable. The impact of program activities is illustrated by stories of two women given below. Both women received business training and loans last year and are on track with loan repayments. Earnings from their businesses help pay for food, medicines, rent and school. Also, both women are more financially literate and are building assets.
Patty (not her real name) is the sole caregiver for five children and three orphaned nieces. Her household consists of 10 members and they live in a three-room home. She was facing considerable challenges in taking care of her family as two of her nieces are HIV+ and her husband works part time. Before enrolling in our micro loans program last year, she was operating a fruit stand. After receiving business training and her first loan, Patty added eggs, soya, peanuts, kapenta (dried fish), and other grocery items to her store. Her business is doing well, and she is on track with repayments. Earnings from her business help pay for food, rent, medicines, and school expenses.
Katie (name changed) is the sole caregiver for her five children, and three orphaned nieces/nephews. She is an independent woman and refused support from her relatives. Her husband left a sewing machine when he died a few years back. She is a skilled seamstress but did not have funds to purchase material. After enrolling in our micro loans program last year, she purchased material for school uniforms. Katie is on track with repayments on her first loan. Her plan is to save more, so that she can buy additional fabric to start stitching and selling Chitenge (a Zambian skirt).
Thanks for giving vulnerable women an opportunity to become successful entrepreneurs.
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Women Are Enjoying Cooking With Their Clean Stoves
As a result of the generosity of an anonymous donor, we added a new service to our micro loans program last May. In addition to ongoing micro loans program activities, clean cooking stoves were provided to vulnerable women impacted by HIV and AIDS. Over the last four winter months, 1000 clean cooking stoves and education was provided to vulnerable women living in impoverished communities in Zambia. The women love their new stoves as these keep them warm, cook food faster, and save money on fuel.
Why is this stove better: These stoves are built using patented air regulation, technology, minimize CO, PM, and greenhouse gas emissions leading to better health, savings, climate change mitigation, and everyday convenience.
Next Steps: Our plan is to provide 10,000 stoves and education on proper use to benefit 50,000 residents in the next six months. We are encouraging women to use these stoves for income generation by cooking food to sell.
The provision of stoves is in addition to the ongoing provision of loans to start businesses, business training and monitoring provided to 400 women enrolled in this program.
Thanks for giving vulnerable women an opportunity to become successful entrepreneurs.
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Happy Dad's day. Here is heartwarming news from the ground in Zambia. Last month, along with our partner Greenway Appliances, we launched an innovative project that provides clean cooking stoves to vulnerable women. These stoves have a minimal carbon footprint, are almost smoke free, use less fuel, and cook food faster. The stoves were pre-tested for smoke generation, fuel availability/cost, local recipes, cooking speed, and ease of use before the project was launched.
Goals of this project are to improve the health of families via less smoke inhalation, save money on fuel, and income generation. At present, most families enrolled in our micro loans program have received these stoves. Recipients love their new stoves as they are easy to use, smoke generation is almost nil, and they are saving money on fuel bills.
Beneficiaries: 10,000 vulnerable women living in impoverished neighborhoods.
The provision of stoves is in addition to loans to start businesses, business training, and ongoing monitoring provided to 400 women enrolled in this program.
Thanks for empowering vulnerable women impacted by HIV in Zambia.
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