Village Savings and Loans club supports local economic development through financial intermediation. VSL is a group of people who collectively support a structured process for saving money and offering loans at the local level.
Under the Wakana Nkhanza project, Emmanuel International with funding from United Nations (UN) Women and European Union (EU), identified 135 existing VSL groups in Machinga District where survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) are enrolled to empower them economically. Wakana Nkhanza is a project that aims at reducing cases of SGBV in Machinga through women’s social-economic empowerment by increasing women groups and their participation. The project identifies survivors of SGBV through the Community Victim Support Unit and referrals from the community and enrolls them into the program. As of yet, the program has registered 507 survivors of SGBV and none of these has reported back any further cases of SGBV. Among the beneficiaries, 78% have well-established businesses and 25% have constructed/ under construction houses.
Halima sufuliya (not her real name), a survivor of both physical and economic abuse, says “The project has changed my life a lot, I can now pay fees for my children, I have bought a commercial land, I eat thrice a day and there is so much peace in my house as my husband no longer beats me.”
Halima joined Masimbe VSL club in TA Ngokwe experiencing both physical and economic violence from her husband. When she joined, she was welcomed and asked by the VSL members about the kind of business that she can do so that they could loan her a start-up capital. A week later, she got a loan of K79,000 which she used to cooking oil from Mozambique and sell it at Ngokwe market. Every week she sells 10 buckets of 20 litres for cooking oil. During the share-out for the first cycle, Halima bought commercial land worth K130,000.
Reported By Brenda Nachuma
2 Replies to “Life after experiencing SGBV”
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