Member of Parliament for Lilongwe North Monica Chiyang’anamuno has urged women in the country and across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region to embrace agricultural small-scale business cooperatives.
Chiyang’anamuno said this in Lilongwe where members of various Rural Women Cooperatives gathered to display their agricultural produce as part of activities women in Kabudula do and as also part of commemorating World Food Day.
She said such businesses can break economic dependence on men and eliminate gender-based violence and child marriages in their communities.
She then commended the women in Nsalu for their proactive approach in promoting economic empowerment and social protection.
She said there is a need for both local communities and the government to fully support rural cooperatives to ensure women remain key players in national development.
The legislator also called on financial institutions to recognise and empower women, ensuring they can secure funds for independence and agricultural investment.
Regional Coordinator for the Rural Women Assembly, Mercia Andrews, expressed high admiration for the dedication shown by women in Malawi.
Andrews also highlighted that fostering cross-border solidarity among women in the SADC region is essential to eliminate systemic abuses and strengthen rural livelihoods.
Rural Women Assembly empowers women to become economically self-reliant and also rescues children from early marriages
Meanwhile, Chairperson for Kabudula Women’s Cooperative, stated that, the group’s mandate mainly focuses on practical agribusiness to uplift household economies while actively intervening in social crises, such as rescuing girls from child marriages and enroll them back into education system.
The event brought together delegates and representatives from the SADC region, who traveled to Malawi to appreciate and learn from the climate-smart and community-driven initiatives led by local women in Malawi
By Bridget Makawa
