When you walk through Zabeba Area in Mtandire, Lilongwe, you will come across a shop boldly painted with the words: ‘ZABEBA SHOPRITE NKHUKU ZOTCHIPA PANO’, just as shown in the picture above! These words mean “Cheap chicken here at Zabeba Shoprite!” This shop is run by five women from B13 Women Group.

These women are part of the Tingathe Geni Program, which was designed to help women learn about business management, financial literacy, and grow their income to improve their lives. Today, these women are putting those lessons into action through their business.

During our visit this afternoon, we met two of the group leaders, Agnes Chaza, the secretary, and Grace Mika, the chair. The other members were out in the field delivering chickens and eggs to customers. This shows just how committed and active they are in running their business. B13 is one of the groups that received a loan amounting to K500,000 from our Tingathe Alumni Loan Initiative, which helps our program graduates grow their businesses.

We were happy to see that their efforts are already bringing results. Some of the women are now able to pay school fees for their children. Others are farming along the Lingadzi River or running small businesses on their own. We visited them to encourage and support them with new ideas so they can continue to grow.

At Tingathe, nothing brings us more joy than seeing women who were once in deep poverty begin to live with hope, dignity, and purpose. This is why we do what we do.

If you live in Mtandire and are looking for chicken or eggs, please support B13 Women Group. Their chickens are selling at K14,000 each, and a tray of eggs is K11,500. You can contact them at 0888 055 727.