The Sunday Mail
Conrad Mupesa
Mashonaland West Bureau
THE Young Women in Business (YWB) Mashonaland West chapter was launched in Kadoma yesterday amid calls for women to grab economic empowerment opportunities presented by the Second Republic.
Speaking during the launch of what is YWB’s first provincial structure in Zimbabwe, the organisation’s founder and president, Ms Apphia Musavengana, said Vision 2030 can only be achieved if women are fully involved in key sectors of the economy.
“Your success is in your hands. We have lined up a number of empowering projects, including information and communications technology (ICT) initiatives that have become so critical in our ever-changing modern world. It is our hope that 100 women we target to empower under this programme become independent.
“We have also put in place projects that are supposed to support people with disabilities. The projects include training them to be makeup artists and also be manufacturers of soaps and detergents,” she said.
Outstanding students with disabilities will be supported in setting up businesses.
The organisation’s international spokesperson, Ms Rebecca Muchenje, said YWB was also linking young women in business with the rest of the world to empower them at their respective homes.
“Use this platform to your advantage. We don’t want women who cry all the time about their financial problems. Gone are the days when women would accept their husbands’ decisions of marrying off their daughters at young ages to deal with poverty,” she said.
The organisation is expected to provide financial assistance to women through a revolving loan scheme.
It is also in the process of engaging the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority to help women understand the importance of remitting tax to Government.
Assistance in business proposal writing by the organisation is also expected to create a generation of women who are business- oriented.
