African Enterprise projects are
designed to reach
Vulnerable and unemployed women with life transforming
experiences.
Eva Phiri was accepted into the Malawi Tailoring School
in 2016. She is 24 years old, married, and has two children.
Empowering women through skills development and spiritual
wholeness.
Project Summary & Justification
African Enterprise undertakes various integrated social projects in four different nations
aimed at empowering and positively transforming the lives of the poor and vulnerable in
the communities we are evangelising. These projects align with our mission statement,
“To evangelise the cities of Africa through word and deed in partnership with the
Church”.
In many situations, successful evangelism in the cities of Africa leads to an awareness
that there is a most urgent need to respond and provide alternative livelihoods for the
women and girls who have committed their lives to follow Jesus.
As a result, AE has initiated women’s rehabilitation & empowerment programs in
Malawi, Kenya & Ghana to assist former commercial sex workers, unskilled &
vulnerable women, single mothers, and women living with HIV & AIDS. Over the years,
these projects have transformed hundreds of lives, and thousands of households, by
equipping women with critical economic and social skills.
Every year, these projects train women in various vocational skills such as dressmaking
and design, soap production, entrepreneurship, and bead work. They also offer psychosocial support to assist the trainees.
Project managers in each nation also network with other organizations working in the
slums in order that the trainees have access to other relevant services like subsidized
medical care for those living with HIV & AIDS.
In Africa, there is a popular slogan that says when you empower a woman you
empower a whole village. Many of the past beneficiaries of these projects are now
earning decent incomes and are able to provide for their immediate and extended
families through their small businesses.
Background Information
This proposal is informed and inspired by the current needs for empowerment due to
rising unemployment, poverty and destitution in Africa’s informal settlements. These
settlements exist on the outskirts of major cities and are particularly terrible places to
live. There is a dire need for continued funding so that more women can be empowered
with vocational skills for sustainable living. The proposed activities have also been
shaped by the requests and recommendations of past and present project trainees. The
flow-on effect of reviewing the programmes results in consistently innovative, high
quality projects with the ability to increase capacity. Consequently, there is a wider net
of impact, both on direct and indirect beneficiaries.
Women’s Projects Proposal – 2017
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Activity Setting
Over the recent past, there has been an increase in the number of women and young
girls engaging in prostitution in Africa’s major cities. This increase has been largely
attributed to the rapid rise in unemployment and the cost of living in these urban places.
Unskilled and unemployed slum dwellers are increasingly finding it difficult to support
their families. They are more likely to engage in crime, prostitution, etc. However, many
of the past beneficiaries are now successfully operating their own income generating
projects that assure them and their dependants a decent livelihood.
Participants spread the name of our projects far and wide, establishing a lasting
reputation for the provision of life-transforming projects. As a result, there is an
increased demand for training – but that requires more space, equipment, and financial
resources.
Due to extreme poverty and high unemployment, over 40% of the women living in slums
engage in commercial sex work. Many of them are also married. They may also have
families that they support because they are either widowed, or have husbands who are
unemployed or very irresponsible. Some are HIV/AIDS sufferers, and have a difficult
task of supporting their families and buying medicine when they are ill. Our projects
have successfully empowered many, but the need is far from over. The main objective
of all AE Women’s Rehabilitation & Empowerment Projects is to identify, recruit, train
and holistically empower vulnerable women to the limit of our capacity every year.
Strategic Project Objectives (SPO’s)
a) Recruit, enrol and holistically empower unskilled & vulnerable women who are
currently sex workers, illicit brewers, drug peddlers, teenage mothers and similar,
through vocational skills such as dressmaking, detergent production, basic book
keeping, embroidery, and bead work,
b) Reduce the number of vulnerable women,
c) Actively work towards seeing a behavioural change in 100% of the enrolled
women,
d) Offer women affected by, or infected with, HIV&AIDS an opportunity to interact
with other sufferers and offer psycho-social support to each other including group
therapy,
e) Provide business mentorship and coaching opportunities for the project trainees
to interact with successful local entrepreneurs.
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Major Project Outputs & Performance Indicators
INPUTS
ACTIVITIES
OUTPUTS
OUTCOME/IMPACT
Project Instructors
& business mentors
Training, counselling,
mentoring and equipping
women trainees with
vocational skills,
evangelism and
discipleship.
Well skilled trainees
who are holistically
empowered with
entrepreneurial, social,
spiritual and
economically viable
skills.
Competent, market
oriented entrepreneurs
equipped with skills for
poverty reduction,
wealth, and job creation.
Training Facilities
Furnishing and servicing
the training facilities.
A well-equipped
training &
empowerment centre
that is conducive to
learning.
Rapid learning and
quality skill development
in the shortest possible
period of time.
Training materials &
consumables
Procure available,
sufficient and relevant
training materials and
consumables on a timely
basis.
Availability of quality
training resources.
Effective practical
vocational training and
knowledge acquisition.
Government
approvals and
licensing
Application for and
attaining relevant
government licenses.
Compliance with
statutory requirements.
A legally recognized
training and
empowerment Centre
that has access to
government resources.
Funds
Efficient control and
management
mechanisms.
Adherence to
performance, cost, and
scope outlines.
A well-managed,
effective, and sustainable
empowerment centre.
Social, economic
and spiritual
nurture.
Morning prayer and bible
study devotions,
experience sharing, and
business mentorship
Individual social,
spiritual, and economic
growth and maturity.
A balanced, whole,
confident and
empowered woman.
Enrolment of new
trainees annually.
Targeted selection and full
disclosure engagement of
new trainees by the
instructors.
Targeted vocational
training.
Holistically empowered
women with market
oriented vocational,
social, & entrepreneurial
skills.
The role of African Enterprise
African Enterprise is responsible for the oversight of project implementation including
project staff remuneration, managing project funds, transport, and other logistical
facilitation and the day to day running of these projects. Local AE staff are also
responsible for integrating evangelism and discipleship components, submitting regular
Women’s Projects Proposal – 2017
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progress reports, as well actioning an audit report every year. African Enterprise
International will be responsible for resource mobilisation, and evaluation of project
progress and performance.
Project Sustainability
We have been deliberately mobilising and involving local community, religious, and
government leaders in identifying, selecting, and implementing these projects. They can
then appreciate the transformation of the women chosen, and identify the benefits and
overall impact of these projects in the local communities and to the families. This is to
ensure that they own, participate in and support these projects.
We trust that God will supply local churches who will provide free or affordable
alternative training facilities to reduce costs and ensure sustainability. Each project has
a marketer who continues to make deliberate efforts to increase the market for the
products in order to supplement external support. The women are trained in running a
small business and are introduced to organisations that can lend them start-up money.
Additionally, we monitor graduates for the first 6 months of their businesses posttraining to see how they go and assist where possible.
Every morning, the trainees undertake bible study and prayer for spiritual nourishment.
The project also organises regular group gatherings for the trainees to freely discuss
and address relevant issues affecting them such as health, family relations, stress and
stress management, HIV&AIDS therapy and nutrition, hygiene, and finances, amongst
others.
Project Monitoring
To guarantee successful and timely implementation of all proposed project activities and
adherence to budget outlines, a designated project manager will be responsible for
conducting continuous monitoring and control of all project related components. In
addition, the African Enterprise Aid & Development Director Janet Mwendwa will
undertake scheduled independent evaluations and spot checks from time to time to
ensure the project outputs and outcomes are being realised.
Project sponsors are welcome to visit project sites at any time convenient for them, to
witness progress or to check any information contained in progress reports. An
independent financial audit will also be carried out by an independent qualified auditor
at the end of every financial year. These are held by Janet and are available to project
partners should they want to see them.
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FINANCIAL TARGET
Will you help?
The investment is approximately $1000 per person and this year we are hoping to help
120 desperate people across all 3 projects and are looking to supporters to cover the
cost of one or more women at $1000 each.
You can designate your support to go towards the total 2017 need or to go directly to
either Kenya, Malawi, or Ghana as you are led by God.
For enquiries please contact either David or Ben.
David Lancaster
Director - Partnerships
[email protected]
Ben Campbell
Executive Director
[email protected]
Phone – (02) 9889 1799
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PHOTOS
2015 Tailoring School graduates
AE Staff members with some of the 2016 graduates
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