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Nyaradzo Bakari, Business Reporter
THE PPC women’s forum has launched a programme to offer financial support to the wives of its workers towards setting up co-operative businesses.

In an interview on the side-lines of PPC’s women’s day celebrations at a Bulawayo hotel last week, PPC women’s forum chair, Ms Zanele Dube, said the programme was being conducted under the theme “Charity begins at home,” and aims to assist employees’ wives countrywide to establish businesses that will be funded by the forum.

“We launched the programme in line with the International Women’s Day’s objective to empower all women including those who are not in the work place. We want women outside the work place to become entrepreneurs and be independent,” she said.

Ms Dube said the move would help alleviate financial problems faced by women upon retirement or death of their husbands. “We want to fill the financial gaps that are left when these women’s husbands have been retrenched, retired or have died. We have given them three weeks to form groups and come up with income generating projects, which we as PPC will provide capital for.

“If their businesses are a success then they can manage to assist their husbands in providing for their families,” she said.

Ms Dube said the women’s day workshop was meant to celebrate economic, social, political and cultural achievements made by women in and out of the workplace. Speaking at the same event PPC managing director, Mr Kelibone Masiyane, encouraged women to be hands-on in companies to make a difference in the business sector.

“Women are very important in the workplace as they equally contribute to the success of businesses. So it is important to actively participate in business, brand yourselves in order to attract more and better opportunities for yourselves,” he said.

@NyarieBakie