Lupane Women’s Centre reaches out to 5000 families Some of the women at Lupane Women’s Centre busy making baskets.
Some of the women at Lupane Women’s Centre busy making baskets.

Some of the women at Lupane Women’s Centre busy making baskets.

Leonard Ncube recently in Lupane
ABOUT 5, 000 families in Kusile District are benefiting from various income generating projects spearheaded by the Lupane Women’s Centre.

The centre’s factory is at Lupane Business Centre and has become an economic empowerment hub for communities in the district in line with Zim-Asset as it provides opportunities to fight hunger and poverty.

Mrs Hildigard Nyathi-Mufukare, the centre’s manager, said there are 4, 512 men and women who have been trained in craft, beekeeping, small livestock production, mushroom production, keyhole gardens, savings lending clubs and others.

“As Lupane Women’s Centre we train women in skills on different projects ranging from craft, beekeeping, small livestock production, mushroom production, keyhole gardens, savings lending clubs and others,” said Mrs Nyathi-Mufukare.

She said after training, the women and men are clustered into production units and start producing goods for market.

“We create market linkages and get orders, which we then work on. We’ve a total of 4, 512 people who have been trained and are directly under Lupane Women’s Centre. Of these 400 are into craft while 1, 652 are into gardening and 75 into beekeeping,” she said..

Chronicle Business visited the centre on Tuesday where scores of women were busy on basketry.

The craftwork includes different types of baskets, waste paper bins, office trays, coffins, baby baskets, stools and mats.

Mrs Nyathi-Mufukare said Lupane Women’s Centre is “an employment hub” for the district.

“This business is seasonal as members are occupied in their fields during the rainy season and regroup after harvesting.

“Our country is faced with a serious drought and as a district we feel these projects are coming in handy in fighting drought. This is more like employment especially for women and that’s the way to go,” she said.

She said they sell their products locally and internationally, making an average of $5, 000 per month.

Members pocket 85 percent of the proceeds while 15 percent goes to the centre’s coffers.

Lupane Women’s Centre is funded by LED Liechtenstein and the Culture Fund.

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