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Name | Hawah Williams |
Surname | Makwinja |
Country | Malawi |
Give a short history of the leader | I am a woman aged 37. My mother died while giving birth to me. At the age of 5, my father passed on too. Relatives took me in and cared for me up until I was 12 and they could no longer care for me. I started living on the street as a street kid and at the age of 14, I had pressure to get married because I needed a place to stay and someone to take care of me.the only option was to drop out from school and get married, So I did. At the age of 15, I gave birth to a girl, who at the age of 9 became a victim of defilement and was defiled by my husband’s brother and infected her with HIV. From that point, we started having issues in the family and we later divorced. We shared the little property we had and was able to take care of my children with that. when my husband died,I was a victim of property grabbing and his relatives came, took all we had living me to take of my children, but with nothing. In 2011, I met Emma Kaliya of MHRRC, who through the organisation, helped with MK420,000 after hearing my story. With that, u started a business and my life changed. I started helping others as an individual up until I register the organisation in 2014. The drive to help other women and children came from my own experience, seeing women and children being abused, I had to do something. Hence the onset of the organisation |
Objectives | To see that the vulnarable children, aged people and people suffering from HIV and AIDs are accessing required assistance that would dignify their life in society and contribute to the national development regardless of their sex and their status. |
Key activities | My nature of work is helping women and children who are abused by showing them the direction to take inorder for their issue to be solved amicably. Giving stranded children essentials to enable them persue their education. We provide those with albinism sunscreen lotion and other essentials to enable them adapt well to the environment.Helping those with HIV by encouraging them to go get medicine at the hospital and living healthy. Empowering women by training them inorder to build up their economic abilities.lobbying for wheelchairs for mainly children who are born or have disabilities |
Key challenges | The economic aspect is the main challenge.this is because people look all up to me for financial provision because we have no donor to help us out as an organisation. This is a hiccup because the organisation has been growing and carters for alot of people but with limited resources. Secondly, time taken by courts to handle GBV cases takes long contrary to our expectations and sometimes the outcome of the judgement is not satisfactory to our expectations. Another challenge is that of cultural beliefs and practices where by their is a patriarchy dominance in the society, women fail to speak up when they are being abused because culture expects them to endure |
Results |
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Change at the individual level | As an individual, my life has changed.firstly I recognize the MHRRC for the capital they gave me after hearing my story because from the same, I started impacting on other people. I am happy to know I impact on others positively by empowering others. My personal life has changed because I work harder, knowing it’s from my efforts other people get helped. Knowing I live for others gives me satisfaction |
Evidence of change at the individual level | Emma Kaliya, MHRRC director. ‘she can now provide for her children and herself, and is better off’. |
Change at the household level | At the household level, my family understands better the significance of gender equality and from my experience, they Acknowledge the impact of gender abuse. My close circle are of more help in encouraging me to forge ahead and become better at ensuring the Well being of the vulnerable groups |
Evidence of change at the household level | ‘my mother works hard everyday to help others and that encourages me to do the same, she is my role model_Daughter |
Change at institutional level | At an institutional level, she helped me with capital of MK70,000 to enable me start a business,from which I can take care of my children-member and beneficiary TONSE NDIFE AMODZI |
Evidence of change at institutional level | At an institutional level, she helped me with capital of MK70,000 to enable me start a business,from which I can take care of my children-member and beneficiary TONSE NDIFE AMODZI |
Change at a policy level | In my community, issues of GBV were given a blind eye before the organisation. But now, people are more aware of abuse issues, the society as a whole frowns upon such issues.there is change in the policy because what was tolerated before is now frowned upon and does not condone the same |
Evidence of change at a policy level | . |
Capacity building | There has not really been any training that I took, to train others.we call those that have the capacity to do so when there is need and I benefit from the same. Currently, av written my JCE and would like to persue my education. I encourage my fellow women to do the same |
Lessons learned and shared | The lessons I have learned from the project is that your past does not define you. you can always rise and start again, from my experience, I felt like a rejected stone, but when I was given a chance, I took it with all my wits. I am always pushed to work harder and better |
Next Steps | My future plans is to build a block with 40 rooms so that those that are victimised have a place while their issues are being handled. To reach out to many women by giving them capital and capacity to be economically independent. To encourage more sensitisation of the locals so that at the lowest level in the society, people are knowledgeable and aware of GBV issues and know how to react to the same. to ensure that the issues of GBV are taken seriously by police and the courts and dealt with accordingly |