Zambia is a signatory to international treaties that promote gender equality, women empowerment and the fight against violence However, women empowerment stands out to be a compelling factor aimed at ending poverty, child marriages and gender based violence It is said that when you empower a woman, you empower the entire nation as it is believed women are good managers There are similar women empowerment programs/projects that have already been implemented in the country such as GEWEL and Nascent
Girls Education and Women’s Empowerment and Livelihood Project (a girl’s education and women’s empowerment project, offers direct support to 89 000vulnerable girls and women in rural Zambia The project is supported through three government ministries, allowing a comprehensive approach to empowering women and girls Nearly 20 000 women and girls were helped through the project in 2017 and reached more than 50 000 in 2018.
Nascent implemented a community based women’s empowerment program Women Empowered to Fight Aids and Violence Everywhere WEAVE, to increase the ability of 12 000 women affected by HIV/AIDS in the Mpika District of Zambia to start and manage economically rewarding businesses.
These programs are specifically designed to help alleviate the challenges faced by vulnerable women and girls in rural areas, by promoting empowerment of women through longer term investment, as well as enhancing government capacity to manage such interventions.
In Zambia, about 60 of the country’s population is in rural areas, where women and girls are particularly vulnerable compared to men, despite both living in poverty Women empowerment is an important aspect for national development as the current population index indicates that 50 8 percent of the over 17 million Zambians are women
