The Lusaka Province Women Empowerment Project (2018–2019), supported by the NGO Coordinating Council (NGCC) grant, brought together more than 100 women from across Lusaka Province. The objective was simple but ambitious: strengthen women's capacity to participate in local economic and civic life.
Over the course of the project, participants engaged in financial literacy training, small-business mentorship, and rights-awareness workshops. Group savings schemes that began during the project have continued to operate, and several cohorts have gone on to register cooperatives.
The lessons are clear. First, peer-led models outperform top-down delivery. Second, the most impactful training happens when it is bundled with both rights awareness and a practical income-generating skill. Third, sustainability comes from within the community, not from outside it.
We are carrying these lessons into our 2024–2026 strategy, with a stronger emphasis on local leadership and longer-term follow-up.