By Daniel Matter | Director of Programmes
Before I joined the Women on the Move (WotM) Project, my situation was really alarming. I was addicted to alcohol and even brewed alcohol myself at home. There were times when I drowned all my problems in alcohol and stayed away from my family for several days. My husband and I spent all our money on drinking and could not afford to buy food, clothes or pay for our children’s school fees. Frequent quarrels and arguments spoilt our relationship,” said Mary, a 37 years old WotM participant from Ebenezer playground.
In May 2012, Mary began participating in WotM activities and started playing football and netball with other women from her village. What particularly attracted her to the project, however, were the life skills games where, along with other women, she acquired easy-to-use strategies and skills to deal with challenges in her daily life:
“Through the games and subsequent discussions, I discovered simple and effective ways to avoid or minimise daily stress and to free up my mind. I learned to develop natural resistance to mental stress and fatigue. This did not only change my personal behaviour, but also brought harmony to my family and understanding with my husband.”
In 2014, Mary joined a WotM livelihood group and started up a retailing business with three other women from her neighbourhood. Together they sell food items such as fish, sugar, cooking oil, cassava and maize flour on the local market.
“Thanks to this business, I am now able to join hands with my husband to pay school fees, buy clothes and other household items. Our retailing business is running well, so that I could save some money and start raising chickens."
When asked about the key elements that made all these changes possible, Mary highlighted the important role SSPP staff, coaches and other participants at Ebenezer playground played in encouraging her to regularly join project activities and to work hard and pursue her business.
All of this was possible thanks to the support of you and other donors. At the end of May, all activities planned using funds raised through the Global Giving campaign in December 2015 were successfully implemented. Many heartfelt thanks for your support!
Please check the WotM website to learn more about the future progress of the project: http://www.sad.ch/en/projects/178-women-on-the-move
This project will no longer be running on GlobalGiving.
By Daniel Matter | Director of Programmes
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