It was around 10 a.m. when we arrived at Mtsiliza Area in Lilongwe to meet Faith Women Group. They welcomed us with smiling faces that lightened up the atmosphere, giving us hope that we would have a good chat with them. The purpose of our visit was to assess how their business is going since they are the beneficiaries of our Alumni Loan Initiative, a loan that we give to alumni of our programs so they can boost their businesses and improve their lives.
Faith Women Group started their journey in a humble way.
“This group started in 2024 as a Bank Mkhonde with 10 women,” explained Margaret Manda, a member of the group. “After attending the Tingathe Geni Program in 2024, where we learned leadership, entrepreneurship, and eco-briquette-making skills, we were advised to split into two groups of five so we could manage things better.”
Inspired by what they learned in the program, the women became more serious about their goals. They agreed on regular meeting times and created group rules to guide them.
“In our group, we meet every Tuesday at 3:00 pm,” Margaret continued. “Each member contributes MK 5,000 weekly. We also have a system where we contribute MK 100,000, which is given to one woman in rotation; four women contribute MK 25,000 each. This helps us boost our capital for both group and individual businesses.”
After seeing how committed and organized the women were, Tingathe was encouraged to support them further. The group received an MK 500,000 loan from Tingathe to boost their group business.
Today, they are running a maize-selling business together. At the same time, individual members are involved in different activities, some are selling tomatoes, others are selling chicken parts. Tingathe is proud to see vulnerable women working together to support each other and create better lives for themselves.
The Tingathe Geni Program has changed the lives of the women in this group. Before joining the program, the women had to depend on their husbands for everything at home.
“Before joining Tingathe, we had to depend on our husbands for everything; breakfast, lunch, soap, sugar, and salt,” said Margaret. “But now, we can help with these things. I even have two employees who help me sell chicken parts, which is a fast-growing business. With the money I make, I can now pay school fees for my children.”
The group’s maize business is doing well. They earn about MK 200,500 every month, which they use to grow their business and improve their homes. Seeing the women busy with work that helps them earn and support their families is exciting, especially because most of them had never done business before the program.
Looking to the future, the women are dreaming even bigger.
“We want to start selling eco-briquettes,” Margaret shared with a smile. “We hope to buy our briquette-making machine and start a company. We want to have selling points not just in Mtsiliza, but in other places too. Right now, we are planning to open a group account where we will keep all the money we are saving for the machine.”
The story of Faith Women Group shows what happens when people are given the chance to learn, grow, and work together. Tingathe is proud to stand with these women and many others who are turning small beginnings into big successes.
As we said goodbye and left Mtsiliza, the women’s joy and determination stayed with us. Their story is a reminder that real change starts when people are given the chance to learn, to lead, and to believe in their potential.