4000 young women to benefit from Camfed

4000 young women to benefit from Camfed

What you need to know:

  • To achieve the target, CAMFED has developed tools to support business guides as well as facilitate their teaching sessions and business mentoring to young women entrepreneurs. Under the program, a total of 970 business guides will be trained.

Dar es Salaam. More than 4000 young women are set to benefit from the business guide program implemented by the Campaign for Female education (CAMFED) by end of the year.

To achieve the target, CAMFED has developed tools to support business guides as well as facilitate their teaching sessions and business mentoring to young women entrepreneurs. Under the program, a total of 970 business guides will be trained.

The business guides manual which was launched in Dar es Salaam over the weekend  comprises various topics such as introduction to agriculture as a business, positioning for growth, good business practices, access to capital, customer relations and marketing.

Addressing delegates, Training Manager from the Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO), Steven Bondo said the program which intends to economically empower young women is in line with the government’s strategy to transform the country into an industrialized
nation by 2025.

Bondo added that the business guide program will help the government in implementing its various policies including the education development policy, youth policy and the small and medium enterprises development policy.

 He said SIDO partnered with the organization to provide entrepreneurship training to CAMFED alumni association (CAMA) members in Tanga, Iringa, Morogoro and Coast Region.

“The government recognizes the great job you are doing in supporting vulnerable girls through education and business training. Some 1,193 girls have so far benefitted with more than Sh1.7billion business loans and capital”, said the official noting the girls are from 32
districts in 9 regions.

He, however, underscored the need for district business officers and district committees to continue following up on the girls to make sure they reach their business potential and connect them with a number of business opportunities available for women and youth.

CAMFED Board Chairman, Jeanne Ndyetabura said that supported girls who fail to continue with their education to higher learning institutions are assisted through provision of life skills and entrepreneurship training.

“This is just one of the programs we are implementing, CAMA members who will be trained as business guides will dedicate their time to educate and mentor ten or more young women within a year. We want them to assist 4,300 young women by the end of December,” said Ndyetabura.

Beneficiary of the program, Eva John said that through CAMFED she has been able to grow her pineapple farming business from one acre to six acres.

“I am thankful to CAMFED for supporting us with business capital and loans. The training we received have made me who I am today,” she said, noting that her business started with a small capital of Sh800,000.