First Lady Chakwera pushes for empowerment of women
Malawi’s First Lady Monica Chakwera has expressed the need to empower women with right skills in order for them to contribute to the social and economic growth of their families and that of the nation.
Chakwera was speaking in Salima on Tuesday during a visit to Transformative Women Economic Empowerment Project, which is being implemented by Women Legal Resource Centre (WOLREC).
Chakwera was accompanied by Mozambique’s First Lady Isaura Nyusi.
She said some of the key steps to achieving the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are economic empowerment of women and financial inclusion.
“Through years of efforts of women’s empowerment and closing gender gaps, we are able to see that a lot of women have contributed and continue to contribute to the development of our country especially on economic transformation,” she said.
However, Madam Chakwera lamented that gender based violence (GBV) and lack of economic empowerment continue hindering women from contributing to the social progress of their communities.
She therefore emphasized that initiatives such as the one taking place in Salima are important steps towards closing the gaps.
At this point, Chakwera said her Shaping Our Future Foundation envisions the holistic development of a village girl through keeping her in school as well as empowering women.
Women Economic Empowerment is the weapon needed to break the cycle of poverty, she said.
On her part, Nyusi said she was impressed with the projects aimed at empowering women economically.
