Empowering Women

The mothers who bring their children to Beit CURE Hospital Children's Hospital live under very simple conditions. Because they stay at the hospital with their children, the staff will get to know them well. There is a decision-making team consisting of a nurse, a social worker, a hospital evangelist and the pastor couple. They have a weekly meeting where they discuss which mothers are best suited to be helped by the projectEmpowering Women.

When one of the team members meet a single mother who has not received any support from the city or village they come from, they see an opportunity to help. They say nothing to her as she leaves the hospital for the first time. Instead, they keep in touch, double check the information they have received through feedback from the patient and then make a house visit. If everything is as expected they then tell the mother about the project.

If she is interested in being involved, she must sign an agreement. It says, among other things, that she may use the machine but not sell or rent it to others. If it breaks, she will pay for the reparation. Together with Ngonda, they write down a two-year payment plan for the machine. This is to increase the responsibility for the machine.

The material to start knitting and sewing is bought by the mother.

Once the contract is written, the mother is brought back to the hospital to receive an education on how to use the machines and also how to make a business plan. The training takes four days. The hospital has two mothers who are paid to educate the other mothers. As the newly educated mothers go home, they can start their own business and thus get an improved financial situation.

Ngonda Haamumba is located in Zambia and is in charge of the project Empowering Women.

Matilda is one of the women who has been helped by the project.

Anneli tillsammans med en liten flicka i Zambia.