By Elizabeth Nyaguyo
Women in Stoneridge have expressed their gratification to Plan International for changing their lives through various projects they have introduced.
Plan International started implementing various projects in Stoneridge and Epworth since January 2022 as a way of helping youths and young women who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic so that they have they can sustain their livelihoods.
Harare Urban Youth Empowerment project has benefited many young people and the statistics from Plan International show that a total of 475 altogether 265 are women and 210 are males and the other 29 are those people living with disabilities who are focusing on entrepreneurship.
In an interview with Sly Media during a field tour organized by Plan International in Stoneridge, one beneficiary Nyasha Muguto said that her life changed through the organisation’s interventions as she got money to sustain her business.
“I was once working for a company specializing in detergents, so that is where I got my knowledge on detergent making, but the problem was I did have not enough set up a big shop.
“But with the interventions from Plan International, they gave us some money, and I used that capital to boost my detergent shop. All thanks to them, we formed a group called Shaneez Excellent Detergents.
“We were five but unfortunately they took all their money and left the group so I told myself that I am not going to collapse but rather to work extra hard here I am now running a saloon together with a detergent shop those detergents alone I can get $10 every week”s he said.
Another woman, Lorette Nhema, extended her gratitude to Plan International saying these interventions have helped her as a woman to regain her community’s respect.
“These projects that Plan gave us has helped us as women regain community status.
“These Programs are so helpful to us as women because we used to know that only man supposed to go to work and women are supposed to look after the children but now I am going to work and helping my husband bring food on the table.
“As women, they are certain things we need but we could not buy them because of the money crisis but now we are capable since we are using money from our projects we are doing,” she said.
Another woman, Mucharevei Karinji, also a member of the Frank Mart Fashion Designers, said that she appreciates Plan International for remembering her since she is disabled.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank Plan International for remembering everyone despite race or even class. I am disabled but from the skills I got, I am now able to sew clothes and sell.
“People in my community used to look down upon me saying that, can a person with a disability do but I learned a lot from the training we got from Plan and now I am able to do some uniforms for my children as well make clothes for myself.
“Per week, we are getting close to $10 to $15 from the dresses we are making depending on the demands from our customers,” she said.
