By Petro Mkandawire 

Blantyre, September 25, Mana: Women for Fair Development (WOFAD) through the Giving Machine Project has distributed 160 goats worth K9 Million to 80 families in Traditional Authority Kunthembwe in Blantyre District.

Speaking on Tuesday during the distribution at Kunthembwe Village, WOFAD Executive Director Apostle Lindiwe Matanya said the donation should symbolize the starting of a new life for the women as they were not looking at the goat itself instead their expectation was on business knowledge which they have impacted in them.

"When we financially empower women, we are automatically developing the country. Women are very important to the economy of the country as they make up over half the population of the country and are responsible for child nurturing. When we take into consideration laws of financial management, women need to be self-aware of the best business they can manage and which customers they can target," said Matanya.

She said the project decided to support women with two goats each because their research revealed that Gender Based Violence (GBV) was high because women are not financially empowered and hence do not leave abusive relationships because of the support men provide.

One of the beneficiaries, Lusungu Mkandawire expressed gratitude for the project, saying it will go a long way in addressing challenges that her family face and that through the training from WOFAD, she will be able to handle her daily income.

"WOFAD trainings are very significant to us as women in the sense that from what we have learned, we will become economically independent. This will help us to develop our families instead of spending time in other bad behavior,” she said.

Senior Chief Kunthembwe encouraged women not to sell the livestock and urged them to provide a regular feeding routine to harvest more goats.

"When women become economically empowered, they provide different sets of skills and imaginative perspectives in the community. Most of the women in our community have nothing to do so the donation will give them something to look for and in the long run, they will invest in small-scale businesses,” he said.

The Giving Machine Project aimed at empowering women in small-scale business is being implemented by WOFAD with funds from Mentors International amounting to K21 Million in Traditional Authorities Kunthembwe and Lundu in Blantyre.