WOMAN’S NON-TRADITIONAL SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM

safety and financial security for the most impoverished families

The community of Namavundu is made up of families from a wide range of economic backgrounds. Many survive on minimal wages, making just enough to provide the basic necessities for their families. However, there are also those that do not even achieve this level of provision. Over the past four years we have met families, all headed by single women, that live on less than $10 per month. With the average cost for house/room rentals at $20-$50/month, even providing shelter for their families becomes almost impossible.

With all of their money being used for rent, there is essentially nothing left to buy food for their families, or to pay for medical bills if one of their children becomes sick. For these families education is a luxury that often is not within their grasp unless they have received child sponsorship through Bridging Villages, to assist with paying of their fees. 

Our goal for this project is to use our new property to provide free housing for five different families in the coImmunity for eighteen months. During this time the women will receive skills training in EQUAL EMPLOYMENT training. In these communities women who have not completed secondary school are historically only permitted to learn specific skills (tailoring, weaving, baking, digging, cleaning), however, men with the same level of education receive training in many different trades (carpentry, mechanics, welding, electrical). These trades have the potential to earn far higher wages than the skills provided to the women. We believe that women should have the same opportunities to learn this trades and have the chance to provide financial stability for their families.  Following successful completion of their training the women will be eligible to receive a small business loan in order to grow their own business/trade and attain longterm financial security. Once the women have completed the program we will assist them in finding affordable housing for their families so they can begin their independent lives. 

 FAMILY SPONSORSHIP

We will work to provide as much financial assistance over the first 18 months for these families. This will allow the women to fully commit to their training without the pressure of working long hours for minimal wages in an effort to provide for their children. This support will be accomplished through short-term sponsorships for each family. The funds from these monthly donations will be used to purchase food and clothing for the families as well as medical care when needed. It will also be used to provide a grant for the woman at the end of her program to ensure she can successfully launch her new business!

CURRENT STATUS

As of August 2022, the women have all completed their training programs and have provided small business proposals to begin the next stage of their lives.

Each woman (excluding Macklin) will require approx. 1400 CAD to purchase the necessary tools and rent a space to run their business.

Macklin, however, has impressed her boss so much that he has asked to hire her on as a full-time mechanic with his shop. This is incredible, as he was very hesitant to initially bring a woman in as a mechanic, as “this is only a job for men.”

Once the women have received their grants, our team will assist them with purchasing all of the supplies they need, at a fair price, and helping them to locate affordable housing.

After the women have all moved into their own homes and have launched their businesses, we will bring in more women to begin their training.

DONATE TOWARDS THE WOMEN’S SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS