Govt commits to empowering women

Govt commits to empowering women

Chipata, March 6, 2015, ZANIS…Government has reaffirmed its
commitment to improving the lives of women through financial
empowerment.

Chipata District Commissioner Kalunga Zulu says this is because women
play a vital role in enhancing national development at the small scale
level.

Mr. Zulu said this in a speech read for him by District Education Board
Secretary (DEBS) Kezius Lungu at the launch of the Micro – Credit to
Women/ Village Bank for Chipata district today.

He said government is aware that women are the most vulnerable group
when it comes to issues of social injustices compared to the men folk.
He added that women are more affected by poverty and high disease
burdens among them HIV/AIDS.

The DC said it is against this background that government through the
department of community development will continue to ensure that
vulnerable but potentially viable women are empowered socially and
economically to address the problems.

Mr Zulu explained that the Micro-Credit to women(Village Bank)
programme is targeted at helping women by giving them loans and grants
for their group income generating activities and small scale business
respectively.

He noted that the programme is also expected to promote women
entrepreneurship skills, enhance wealth creation thereby improving the
living standards of women in the country.

He further urged the beneficiaries to put the money in to good use and
pay back the loans.

And one of the beneficiaries Anna Mwale has thanked government
for its commitment to improve the living standards of women through
empowerment.

Ms. Mwale said the village bank programme will go a long way in reducing
poverty levels among women who are in most cases responsible for
meeting basic household needs and taking care of the family.

She also appealed to government to increase the allocation if women
are to venture in to meaningful and sustainable business.

The village bank programme is currently running in six districts of
Eastern province, and 135 women in Chipata district have benefited and
each has been given K500 which there are expected to pay back within
25 weeks through weekly installments.