Helping You Community Forum has supported women from Paramount Chief Kyungu’s area in Karonga with soft loans to start small-scale businesses to be economically independent.

Speaking on Tuesday at Mwenilondo during a meeting with women club members, the organisation’s ambassador Haruto Sekishita asked beneficiaries to use the money for its intended purpose.

He said: “Women economic empowerment is key to the country’s socio-economic growth. Therefore, it is important to empower these women for them to be self-reliant.

“Through a micro finance trainer Emily Sulu we trained 10 beneficiaries in business management.”

Tiyanjane Club chairperson Esther Mwalwumba, whose members benefitted from the initiative, hailed Helping You Community Forum for the training and the loan facility.

“The training equipped us with skills to run small-scale businesses. We will repay the loan on time so that others can borrow,” she said.

One of the members, Caroline Munthali, said she wants to support her husband in providing basic needs for the family.

She said: “It is good to do something for a living other than depending on a man for everything.

“Times have changed and couples need to work hard to support children.”

Helping You Community Forum founder and leader David Ghambi said they want to uplift the socio-economic welfare of vulnerable women in the district.

He said: “We partnered friends in Japan through Sekishita to promote the welfare of women in the district.

“We plan to introduce a small interest during the second phase so that the money realised should also benefit others,” he said.

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