Lovemore Khomo | March 28, 2024
News Brief
In Lilongwe, Malawi, the Chimombo Community group has championed gender equality, women's empowerment, and community development since 2017. Initiatives like a school feeding program, which has increased primary school attendance, and a savings scheme supporting women's businesses, have enhanced women's status in Ntandire township. Loveness Zungu is proud to be a member, although initially her husband was reluctant to let her join this community group as it would take her away from responsibilities at home. But seeing her positive impact on the community has made both of them proud.
Manesi Nkhunda is a sixty-year-old mother of seven children and a grandmother who joined Chimombo Community group three years ago. Mrs. Nkhunda was motivated by other members who dedicate their time and energy to support community development on gender equality, women’s empowerment, and education.
The group was established in 2017 in a suburb of Ntandire township west of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, and has 25 members: 18 women and seven men.
Mrs. Nkhunda says the group has positively impacted the community, especially in terms of women’s status and representation. Women leaders in the group are visible in the community, and women are now more highly represented in events such as funerals, weddings, school maintenance, and village road maintenance.
The group also has a collective savings scheme that women can borrow from to boost their small-scale businesses.
A good example of the group’s impact on the community is the school feeding program they started. Group members contribute 1,000 Malawi kwacha ($0.60 US) at their weekly Wednesday meetings to buy maize. Then they mill it themselves and prepare porridge for Ntandire Primary School. Mrs. Nkhunda says: “The contributions have facilitated the increase in primary school enrolment and attendance in the area.”
Loveness Zungu is a 43-year-old mother of five who has been with the group for five years. She says her husband was initially unhappy with the group meetings.
Her husband, Elias Zungu, says he worried about his wife attending group meetings. He explains, “I thought that she wanted to take over the role of breadwinner … I was scared that my wife would stop serving this household.”
But he now appreciates how the group serves the community. He says: “I am impressed with my wife Loveness as a member of Chimombo group which serves humanity including women and children in this area, and this is a tremendous job.” To ensure she can attend group meetings, he sometimes takes over the housework.
Anne Matelo, 56, is also a member. She says that members’ husbands were initially unconvinced that their wives needed to attend group activities, but then realized that it was important community work and are proud of their wives, especially that they prepare porridge for schoolchildren from poor households.
The Chimombo group has reached out to men in their efforts to raise awareness about gender equality—and men have responded positively. Some contribute money to the group, while others raise awareness of gender equality in their workplaces. Mr. Zungu says he tells fellow businesspeople how important it is to support gender equality at home by sharing in the housework and enabling women to participate in community groups.
Maggie Kathewera Banda is a gender activist and chairperson for the NGO Gender Coordination Network. Mrs. Banda says women face challenges when taking part in political or community activities, and that women who get involved in politics are stigmatized as “desperate” people who do not have businesses or jobs to make a living.
She adds that women are not usually entrusted with meaningful positions. In political parties, they are typically named as directors of women’s activities, and tasked with organizing women for community roles like dancing at political rallies. Nevertheless, Mrs. Banda believes that political or community groups should actively encourage women’s participation so that women can advocate for their own agendas.
The Chimombo Community group encourages women members to run small-scale businesses to help them purchase basic household needs like food, soap, and school fees, and not simply rely on men. Members have taught each other how to grow food crops and how to bake and cook snacks, doughnuts, samosas, and other local, traditional foods and drinks. Some women make 8,000-10,000 kwacha ($4.70-5.90 US) per week by selling these snacks.
Other members grow vegetables and maize. They both consume the foods at home and sell part of their harvest to make money that can be used for household needs—and to support the group.
Mrs. Nkhunda concludes: “As women, we will continue to work hard, advance gender equality, and encourage group participation for ensuring our community development growth through inclusiveness.”
This resource was produced through the ‘UCARE – Unpaid Care in sub-Saharan Africa‘ initiative, which aims to increase gender equality and women’s empowerment through a commitment to more just and equitable sharing of unpaid care and domestic work within the household and the family in sub-Saharan Africa. The project is implemented in partnership with Farm Radio International (FRI), UN Women, and The African Women’s Development and Communications Network (FEMNET) thanks to funding from Global Affairs Canada.