Empowerment

Zunga operates a decor and catering business. Her business never used to perform very well and she used to spend sleepless nights trying to figure out where she was going wrong. She thought she was doing what was required, but she did not see any results. She was fortunate to be included in the entrepreneurship training programme. She managed to identify her mistakes and take corrective action. During the entire training she kept on asking the trainers for advice as to what she should do to increase sales or build good customer relations. She realised that she need to take advantage of such forums to talk about her business.

If the saying that life begins at 40 is anything to go by, Msanda Ncube can safely conclude that her prosperous life begins at 40. The beginning of her new life was ushered in by the entrepreneurship training that coincided with her 40th birthday. It was in August 2014 when she was referred to Gender Links (GL) by the local councillor Mwale. The local councillor had known Ncube for a long time and she was aware of how much she suffered at the hands of an abusive husband.

Letisia Mutilifa is a single mother of five who runs a tailoring business in Otavi. She is happy that she owns this type of business because she is unemployed but has to take care of a family. She says that despite the fact that her business is small she is satisfied with it and the income she is getting. Her business makes dresses, skirts and shirts and sells to the people in the community. These are the potential customers. She says she operates from her house because she does not have enough money to rent a building but the business is progressing very well and there are more customers.

Blondine is a single mother of four children who manages a textile business started and owned by a group of women who have survived gender based violence and those affected by it. She is head of the business and a trainer for newcomers. She embarked on this type of business because of the situation she was in and she was inspired by the idea. She feels that this business has played a major role in their lives since they were all unemployed but they had to take care of their children and their families. She confirms that the business is viable and the community support it.

Ms Trosley Kaizemi is a married woman and a mother of two children and she has completed her grade 12. She runs a service business in Outjo Kunene region. She provides services such as cutting, braiding and dying hair and providing advice to customers as to how they should treat their hair. She also sells ice and dry chips as a backup. She started this type of business while she was still at school and continued with the same idea after completing her secondary education. She decided to continue with this business due to the fact that she was unemployed and had children to support and pay for their school fees. She likes her business very much as it is profitable and the community women are very supportive.

Tjiangerao Oases is a single mother of two children and she runs a mini nail decoration salon in Grootfontein. She is pleased that she owns this type of business because she is unemployed and this business is her only source of income. She says her business helps her a lot because she is able to support and feed her children without begging from people. She says she prefers to operate from home because she gets more customers and her potential customers are the young women residing in Bliksdorp. She regards her business as profitable even though only a few customers come to visit the business.

I was very broke; there was nothing in the house in terms of food. Then out of nowhere a friend appeared and invited me to a workshop and I had no idea what an impact it would have on my life. I respected this woman so I decided to attend the workshop. At the workshop we were asked to write our “IÀ stories on gender based violence. It was really healing to pour out my experiences on to a piece of paper. I could not believe it when after so many years I was taken to KFC for lunch. We were also given P400.00 each for attending workshop. I used this money to buy groceries for the children at Spar.

Rosemary Muza joined Gender Links (GL) entrepreneurship programme in 2014 through Mrs Mchombo who is an official from the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development. The decision to select Muza as a beneficiary of the entrepreneurship programme was made after it was realised that the woman was in need of help. Today, Muza vividly recall how Mchombo came to announce the good news about GL training and how it was going to help her not depend on her husband.

Maria Katjituwo is a single mother of three children and a resident of Grootfontein. She runs a chicken farming business. She is unemployed and her business is the only source of income for her to be able to feed her entire family and pay school fees for her children. She is committed and very passionate about her business. She believes her business is viable and that she will soon enter the domestic market. She says her aim was to contribute towards food security by bringing chicken meat closer to the consumers. She asserts that her business is profit making and that it could grow faster than other businesses.

I was 18 years old when I got married. It was a customary marriage where lobola was paid and I was sent off to stay with my in-laws. Clouded by love, I was willing to do everything for the sake of my marriage. I went to the Gender Links workshop and I was keeping up this “perfectly marriedÀ look and other women would envy me. To me I was keeping up appearances and that was what I was supposed to do as a properly married traditional woman.

I first met Gender Links when I went to the “I storyÀ workshop at Khuseleka Place of Safety. We came from the Matlala TVEP and I was not aware of the pain in me, until I started talking and writing my “IÀ story.

Madgalena is a single mother of two who runs a mobile shop in Outapi in Namibia. She was inspired to start this business by the fact that she was unemployed but had children to feed, school fees to pay and parents to care for so she opened a mobile shop selling groceries and household goods to the communities around the outskirts of Outapi town. She says she finds the business very productive because she brings goods to people`s doorsteps and the old members of the community love it.