Empower 100 SHEpreneurs in Rural Zimbabwe...

New year... New Beginnings for the SHEpreneurs in rural Zimbabwe.

We started the year with alumni engagement meetings from all the groups that were trained in the past year. The purpose of the meetings was to catch up on how the entrepreneurship trainings impacted their lives, the usefulness of the trainings and whether they had additional areas they required support. Unfortunately this came at the back drop of a bad agricultural season characterised by limited rainfall and a looming drought due to the El Nino effect and climate change. As much as the SHEpreneurs are motivated and looking forward to improving their lives and livelihoods through entrepreneurship, climate change is a reality that impacts them as the economy is mostly driven by agriculture. One area which was identified as requiring additional support was the effect of climate change on the mental health on the women. Climate change has resulted in reduced water supplies, drying up of water sources and food insecurity due to the drought. This has greatly increased the burden of work and responsibility on the women and support is required on their mental health and wellness.

We also embarked on awareness campaigns in new communities and a recruitment drive for future cohorts. At the same time, we managed to translate our Street Business School manual into the vernacular Shona language. The new manuals will make the trainings more user friendly and the materials easier to understand by women with a low educational attainment.

A cohort of 30 women at Kanyemba in Mashonaland Central Province have started their entrepreneurial journey. They selected "Simukai" as their group name which means "Arise". The name is significant to them as they aspire to arise from their present circumstances and reach their full potential through harnessing the positive power of entrepreneurship.