STATE, WFP SUPPORT OFFERS LIFELINE TO TRADERS

WHAT would you do if the business, which is your only source of income, starts crumbling? Ms Kashoni Maila was grappling with this question over 2020 when her shop was not progressing.

Unfortunately, Ms Maila’s situation is a reality among many local entrepreneurs. This is because of poor access to finance among small enterprises.

For Ms Maila, luck was on her side as the government with support from the World Food Programme introduced Savings for Change to improve small-scale entrepreneur’s access to finance. Predominantly, these are also smallholder farmers who have had to grapple with the negative effects of climate change.

Ms Maila joined the Tobone Savings group in Maondo Camp of Sesheke in February, 2021 where she has been saving and getting credit.

“Being a member of this savings group has saved my shop and improved my life as I have been getting and paying back credit every month. As at now, I have even managed to buy a plot,” she explained.

Ms Maila was speaking in an interview during the group’s share-out recently. The group shared out K33, 181.

“I had saved K4, 700 and now I have gotten K6, 556 after saving for nine months. My goal now is to buy maize and groundnuts seed,” she said.

With the onset of the rainy season, Ms Maila is excited that after harvesting her crops, she will be able to sell the produce to realise more profits.

The Savings for Change initiative is part of the Strengthening Climate Resilience of Agricultural Livelihoods in Agro-ecological Regions I and II in Zambia Project.

This project is being funded by the Green Climate Fund, with technical support from the United Nations in Zambia and is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture.