Dream Factory women’s empowerment programs aim at solving problems for local women. Through these programs, we seek to empower women to become role models in their communities and share the skills and knowledge they learn. In this way, they can help their communities as a whole. These programs are essential in ensuring that we improve the living standard of vulnerable women in Zambia.
Our programs include educational and business skills, life and health education, income generating projects and microloans. We believe in micro loans that give opportunities, not micro debt that destroys. We therefore aim to run our projects in such a way that no one ends up in debt.
We exist to:
- bring hope to those who lost hope
- help women who have dreams but cannot fulfill them
- teach them capacity building, interact with them and encourage them
- create small businesses and new jobs in a country where the unemployment rate is sky high
- stir the women by giving them some examples of strong women, and show them through this program that "It is possible to change your destiny and succeed"
Buyantanshi means "going forward". Our current Buyantanshi project is in the Nkwazi compound of Ndola. From a pool of almost 100 women, 20 were selected for this initial program. The selection process involved meetings and interviews and we chose those that were most committed to personal growth and chasing their dreams.
The women benefit from weekly educational programs in entrepreneurship, business management skills and life skills. Several have also been empowered to start or improve their own businesses with the help of micro loans. Along with our educational programs, we conduct home/business visits weekly in order to coach and mentor each lady. This also gives us special insights to the challenges each individual faces.
This program brings life and freedom to women, their families and the whole local community.
The program is done in groups of 20 women at the time, and the program takes them through four phases:
- Phase 1: Selecting the 20 women and developing their individual business plans
- Phase 2: Training workshop and handing out of micro loans
- Phase 3: The actual business plan is carried out, and the process is followed up in workshops
- Phase 4: Evaluation and preparing for a new group of 20 women
Every time we get $2500, we can start a new group with 20 women, and change their lives!
