Introducing you to the culture of Malawi through a series of articles! The culture of Malawi is strong in spirituality and most people are active in religious groups. We’ll tell you about Malawi’s main religions and the people who practice them. Read on for more.
Microloans and Building Business Skills in Malawi
Magret's Story
Magret hails from Kachigamba village, Traditional Authority Chakhaza in Dowa. She is a current participant in our FEM for Women program, where she has received a microloan and learns about business skills.
Magret explains how hard life was before joining the FEM program. “My husband and I used to rely on piece work. As such, it was hard for us to make ends meet. There were days our children could go to school on empty stomachs,” laments the mother of four.
How does FEM for Women help with microloans?
Magret explains how she had always wanted to start a business but she never had the start-up capital.
Our FEM for Women program began in 2017 with the goal of supporting women like Margret who are stuck in a cycle of poverty. Women apply for a no interest loan that will be paid back in equal installments over the next four months. The money helps them buy more supplies to trade or otherwise invest in their small business. Then, they use the profits to improve their lives.
Magret applied for a 100,000 Kwacha loan which she invested in her powdered soap and tomato businesses.
“I decided to invest in two different businesses so that they can be supporting each other in case one business makes losses,” explains Margret.
How does FEM for Women help with building business skills?
What strikes her the most is that on top of the loan, she was taken through business training which has greatly helped her in running her business efficiently.
“Apart from the loans that we give to the FEM women, training is the most important aspect as it helps them understand their business environment and how to manage their businesses better,” says Tango Phiri, FEM program manager.
So far, with the proceeds Magret has made from her business, she has managed to cultivate a 2 acre field of soybeans and an acre of maize.
When asked about her future plans, Magret says she plans to grow her business in 2023 and use the proceeds to buy goats which will help her household become more financially secure.
For more stories from Orant’s FEM Program:
Share on:
The Orant Journal
As we have discussed in some of our past blogs, Malawi Vision 2063 has three key pillars that guide the focus of the Vision. These three pillars are meant to build on each other to create the inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation that they envision. In this blog, we will look at the second pillar of MW2063: Industrialization.
Introducing you to the culture of Malawi through a new series of articles! First in the series is the food of Malawi, an important part of culture and tradition. We’ll tell you about some traditional foods and even share some recipes! Read on for more.
In this blog, we will look at the first pillar of MW2063: Agricultural Productivity and Commercialization.
In the book Poor Economics, the authors explore the idea of the poverty trap and how it affects people across the world. In this blog, we review Poor Economics and its lessons on how to break the cycle of poverty.
2022 Highlights at Orant Charities Africa. See what we accomplished.
Clean water is a gendered issue in Malawi. Women and girls bear the brunt of the water burden. Malita Chimbalame tells her story.
Celebrate Orant's Sweet 16 with 16 reasons we love what we do.
Malawi is rich in democracy, peace, and spirit. But economically, Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. Why?
Orant Charities has named its annual gala mudzi. Orant’s mudzi is the global village of people united for our common mission in Malawi.