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Category Archives: Enterprise
Small loan helps a poor family to open a thriving drugstore
Two years ago, Harrison Sakala and his wife Margaret Mwanza were struggling to make a living from their small farm. The family were poor, and they often only had enough food to eat one or two meals a day. Now, … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Development, Enterprise, Poverty, Zambia
Tagged agriculture, enterprise, makwatata, micro-finance, poverty, self help africa, sustainability, zambia
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Microfinance initiative provides much needed credit to rural farmers and businesspeople
Euphrasia Phiri, Chairperson of the Makwatata Financial Association A total of 268 men and women from Makwatata and the surrounding villages have enhanced their business opportunities this year by taking out a small loan from the local Financial Association (FA). … Continue reading
Maize farmers still waiting for payment from Food Reserve Agency
Maize farmers in Makwatata, like hundreds of thousands of farmers all over Zambia, have been left unpaid by the government’s Food Reserve Agency (FRA) for last year’s harvest, and many are struggling to make ends meet as the rainy season … Continue reading
Access to knowledge and markets makes farming a profitable business
John Mwale is one of Makwatata’s most successful smallholder farmers. In his garden, he grows tomatoes, cabbages, rape, okra, beans and pumpkins, but on a much larger scale than most other farmers in the village. There are just 15 families … Continue reading
Farmers groups benefit from government and NGO support
All over Zambia, smallholder farmers are benefiting from improved access to resources, knowledge and markets by becoming a member of a local group or co-operative. Unis Neayu was one of the founding members of the Chiyanjano Women’s Group in Makwatata. … Continue reading
Father determined to send daughters to university despite challenges
“Society has deprived our women of a proper education. I want things to be different for my girls.” Lanford Mulauzi has three daughters. The first born was married last year to a teacher at the local school in Chikando village, … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Culture, Development, Education, Enterprise, Poverty, Tradition, Women, Zambia
Tagged discrimination, education, girls, marriage, mdgs, opportunity, parent, poverty, rural community, self help africa, tradition, women, zambia
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Smallholder farming and food security in Makwatata
When I ask about challenges facing the people of Makwatata in their day to day lives, almost every adult has a common response – providing enough food to feed their family throughout the year. The vast majority of households in … Continue reading
Leaving a polygamous husband to set up shop
When Shupiwe Nzima’s husband took a second wife, Shupiwe was left alone with her four children. “It was as if he had never married me. He ignored me completely,” she explains. “His parents felt sorry for me and tried to … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Development, Education, Enterprise, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Poverty, Tradition, Women, Zambia
Tagged custom, discrimination, divorce, marriage, microfinance, opportunity, polygamy, poverty, rural community, self help africa, small business, subsistence, tradition, women, zambia
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Village blacksmith hammers hoes from scrap metal
The clanking of a blacksmith’s hammer echoes through the bush at the entrance to Makwatata’s gardens, 1.5km from the village. Blackson Newali is sitting in the shade of a mango tree at the edge of his farm, hammering scrap metal … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Development, Enterprise, Farming, Markets, Poverty, Zambia
Tagged blacksmith, diversification, enterprise, family, income, opportunity, poverty, self help africa, subsistence farming, trade, training, zambia
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Digging a Well at Chimtengo Village
The people of Chimtengo village take their water for washing, cooking and drinking from a water hole shared by pigs, cattle and goats. Last week, one of the villagers found a dead dog floating on the surface. Water borne diseases … Continue reading
A Village in Africa 