“I am a 67-year-old woman and I have been running some businesses, but I did not have business management skills. This training has come at the right time because I will now be able to run my businesses professionally,” said one of the participants at Mkukula Site, Rosalina Kafota.

Kafota is one of the beneficiaries of the women entrepreneurship bursary program being implemented by Students Driven Solutions. Skills and Technical Education Programme (STEP) with funding from the European Union supports the entrepreneurship bursary program.

According to Kafota, she has a small business but has not been able to expand it.  She has never received training in business development before.  “It has been a challenge for me to find an opportunity of being trained in business management. I did not know that before starting any business, I am supposed to do a market research and come up with a business plan,” she said.

Ethel Mpando is another beneficiary of the project.

She was all smiles when the STEP team and SDS visited them at Mchezi Site in Lilongwe.

“The knowledge I have gained through this training is valuable. It will help me to boost my business and I will be able to make a larger profit” she explains.

Gender and Education Specialist for Skills and Technical Education Program (STEP) Jean Munro commended the women for their participation.

“Our aim is to ensure that all the participants are leaders in business in their specific areas. As women, it is important to be financially independent,” said Munro during a site visit to Mchezi and Mkukula.