{"id":30,"date":"2026-03-10T07:54:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T07:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/source.wpopal.com\/givico\/community-support-spaces\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T23:53:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T21:53:14","slug":"empowering-women-through-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/2026\/03\/10\/empowering-women-through-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowering Women Through Skills, Confidence and Enterprise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zambia and Malawi \u2014 2026<\/strong><\/h1>\n

For many women living in vulnerable circumstances, access to practical skills can be an important step towards greater economic independence. Through the Women in TVET programme, the Salesians of Don Bosco have been supporting women in Zambia and Malawi to acquire vocational and employability skills that can open pathways to employment, entrepreneurship and improved livelihoods.<\/p>\n

The programme, titled \u201cHarnessing Women\u2019s Potential through Technical Vocational Entrepreneurship Training (TVET) in Zambia and Malawi,\u201d was designed to improve employability and expand livelihood opportunities for disadvantaged and poor women through vocational and skills development training.<\/p>\n

Skills as a pathway to empowerment<\/p>\n

The programme directly benefited 160 women from communities surrounding Salesian institutions in Zambia and Malawi. Priority was given to vulnerable groups, including female-headed households, widows and single parents.<\/p>\n

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The programme began by listening to the women and understanding the barriers they faced. During November and December 2025, a comprehensive needs assessment was conducted in Mansa, Lufubu, Makululu, Chawama and Bauleni to identify gaps and opportunities for strengthening women’s participation in TVET.<\/p>\n

The findings informed targeted training and support activities in Mansa, Chawama and other Don Bosco institutions.<\/p>\n

This approach helped ensure that training responded to the circumstances and opportunities within the communities where the women live.<\/p>\n

From training to income generation<\/p>\n

The programme’s impact has extended beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n

According to the annual report, several graduates have gone on to establish small enterprises and begin generating income. The programme also provided ongoing mentorship, while the formation of 32 technical working groups strengthened collaboration, peer learning and sustainability.<\/p>\n

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These developments demonstrate an important link between vocational education and livelihoods: skills become more meaningful when learners are able to apply them to economic activities, employment and enterprise development.<\/p>\n

The programme has also contributed to broader household and community benefits. The annual report notes that families and dependants of trained women can benefit from improved household income, food security and greater financial stability, while the wider community benefits from women’s skills and enterprise activities. Women\u2019s empowerment through TVET is not only about technical skills. It also involves creating opportunities for women to participate more confidently in economic and social life.<\/p>\n

The programme has contributed to strengthened skills development, improved retention and increased confidence among participants. In 2026, the initiative continued to expand training programmes and strengthen industry linkages and opportunities for employment and enterprise.<\/p>\n

The programme directly contributes to SDG 5 on Gender Equality and SDG 1 on No Poverty, while reflecting the Salesian commitment to supporting disadvantaged communities through education, skills development and opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.<\/p>\n

The achievements of the Women in TVET programme provide a foundation for further expansion. The annual report indicates plans to reach an additional 320 beneficiaries in the next phase.<\/p>\n

By combining vocational training, mentorship, enterprise development and community-based support, the programme is helping women move from skills acquisition towards practical economic opportunities.<\/p>\n

For Bosco Youth Reach-Out, women’s empowerment is therefore part of a wider vision: equipping women with skills, strengthening their confidence and creating opportunities for them to build more secure and sustainable livelihoods.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How communities can create safe spaces for people in need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2140,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[25,26,32],"class_list":["post-30","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-support","tag-charity-campaign","tag-charity-community","tag-global-charity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4090,"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30\/revisions\/4090"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/byrozmbpdo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}