World Connect

Improving the Capacity of Women in Mpondagaga

Year: 2019

Country: Malawi

Project Status: Funded

Impact Sector: Economic Opportunity

Project Investment: $8,901.41

Project Launch: 9-13-19

Tingathe Development Forum (TIDEF) will work with 50 women who are either living with HIV/AIDs, widowed, or divorced to establish a cassava processing mini factory in Nkhotakota District. Using cassava, the women will produce a popular type of flour called “kondowole” and a high quality flour used in confectionary for baking. Through the sale of these two products, women will earn an income and improve their quality of life. The income generated will help women to pay school fees and pay for academic resources for their children.

Project Update: 1-23-20

Tingathe Development Forum (TIDEF) has achieved far beyond its planned outputs. It has built a processing house and procured, installed, and tested the cassava processing machines that are working very well. Additionally, 50 women members of the group have been trained on how to use the machines to process the high quality and nutritious cassava flour used for baking as well as cooking a traditional staple food, locally known as Nsima. To enhance their business, all the women have also been trained in financial literacy including profit and loss calculation, market analysis, and leadership. Apart from using the skills in their group business, women have started capitalizing on these skills by starting small scale businesses from which they are able to earn an income to support their families. Extensive processing has been affected by food shortage in the area which has reduced the availability of cassava as raw material for the factory. Processing is expected to pick up as communities start harvesting.

Final Report: 12-31-20

Through the Improving the Capacity of Women in Mpondagaga project, 50 local women have received business management and financial literacy skills, which has empowered them to start and run both group and individual small scale businesses. Using the $8,901.41 grant Tingathe Development Forum has trained the 50 women in group dynamics and leadership skills which has helped them in forming and working together as a cooperative. The group has also learnt value addition and installed a cassava processing machine used in producing High Quality Cassava Flour which is used for baking, biscuit making, and other foods. The Women are also using the milling machine as a maize mill and it has increased their earnings by about 50%. From the sales made from the maize mill and the Cassava products about 70 students (children of the participants) are now able to go to school, 20 of the members have opened small scale individual businesses and about 73% of the women have reported being free from spousal Gender Based Violence due to financial independence. Through the project the women have also been linked and registered with the Cassava Processors Association in order to be exposed to the bi market and other potential customers. Currently the women are farming cassava as a cooperative in order to have adequate raw materials to meet the growing market demand of the products they are providing.