March 8 is International Women’s Day, and Convoy of Hope is celebrating! Today, Convoy is thrilled to announce that more than 99,000 women and girls have been empowered through the Women’s Empowerment program.
Convoy started its Women’s Empowerment program in 2010 out of a desire to uplift women, remind them of their value, and provide them with opportunities to provide for themselves and their families. The goal is to help women break the cycle of poverty and them to advocate for themselves — creating opportunities that last for generations.
Tanzania is an excellent example of empowerment in action. Convoy of Hope has worked in Tanzania for 10 years — empowering more than 7,500 women and girls there in 2022 alone. Through Women’s Empowerment, women learned how to break the cycle of poverty, start and grow their own businesses, and give back to their communities. Women can take classes dedicated to financial education, vocational training, early-childhood care, and more.
Magreth is a widow and the mother of seven in Tanzania. Before partnering with Convoy of Hope, she made Maasai jewelry and crafts and sold them locally. This was her sole source of income. But Magreth didn’t have enough capital to purchase crafting supplies to sustain the market-demand. Because of this, she lacked income to provide food and basic necessities for her family.
Convoy of Hope provided seed capital, education, and craft-making materials for Magreth to help support her business. Since joining Convoy’s programming, she has continued to make Maasai jewelry — now fulfilling orders from several vendors. She also built her own home and homes for her sons, rents land that she farms for vegetables, and has started a savings account.
With Convoy’s support, Magreth can provide enough meals for her family. She has even started other projects, like raising cows and chickens, as well as farming vegetables. Her business has grown enough that she supported her two daughters with the startup capital for their own businesses.
Convoy of Hope also empowers women through its Agriculture initiative. Convoy’s agriculture specialists teach production methods that encourage sustainable practices.
Joyce is a widow with three children. Before joining Convoy’s Agriculture program, she was a small-scale farmer. But she didn’t make enough profit from the harvests to provide for her family’s needs. Through Convoy’s programming, Joyce received agricultural and financial training, which transformed her agriculture practices and grew her farming business.
Now, she owns two cows that produce 10 liters of milk per day. She also owns and rents land where she grows vegetables and banana trees. Because of her partnership with Convoy of Hope, she has built and furnished her own home and has built a cement latrine. She also now feeds her children three meals a day instead of one.
Joyce is breaking the cycle of poverty for her family, and now she has dreams beyond today. In the future, she hopes to purchase another cow, send her kids to university, rent more farmland, and build rooms for renting purposes.
This International Women’s Day, Convoy of Hope is celebrating women like Magreth and Joyce as they create lasting change for generations of women around the world.
