By Nyasha Mutena
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News of The South) – Madam C.J Walker, early 20th Century hair and beauty entrepreneur once said, “I am not merely satisfied in making money for myself, for I am endeavouring to provide employment for hundreds of women of my race…I want to say to every Negro woman present, don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them!”
This can be classified as one of the most powerful messages to ever come from a black woman and to those women who are still contemplating if it is the right time to come out from behind the curtain, the time is now, procrastination is the thief of time.
It is not an exaggeration to say that women constitute the huge percent of people who are unemployed with the majority living below the datum line, be it in the cities or in the rural areas. Due to lack of education, limited employment opportunities and their inability to access funding to start income generating projects of note, they are badly disadvantaged and as an effect, they resort to the end of the ladder means of survival to put food on the table.
These however are qualities that make women a unique species and the notion that poverty has the face of a woman should be dead and buried by the year 2030 because as long as women choose to change this picture, they sure can. Majority of women are working tirelessly, day in day out to improve their quality of life. Among them is one Sharon Kaseke, a diligent young entrepreneur who is making a living from designing broken mirrors with refuse… YES unwanted waste material. Whilst many people strongly believe every business requires a considerable amount of capital, Kaseke is living the dream using waste in what she terms Art of found objects.
She says her business started 3 years ago and was inspired by the mere need for conserving saying she doesn’t believe in throwing material away especially those that do not waste away easily.
“I am obsessed with conserving, I just don’t believe in throwing material away especially broken homewares. I tend to visualize another design on another piece with the damaged or broken piece,” said Kaseke.
Kaseke said her love for beautifying her house encouraged her to venture into this business saying she was strongly convinced every woman would love a perfect home and that designing the house in a unique and affordable manner would capture the love of many ladies.
Some of the designs she has done so far include using threads from worn out tyres, wood slices, broken mirror pieces, using spray paints and scraps of metal welded to design mirrors. She plans to open a big workshop and upgrade where she will be operating from as she is currently using the backyard at her lodgings.
Sharon Kaseke
Kaseke says because she usually uses refuse to make her creations, her business is less capital intensive and her products sell quickly owing it all to their exclusivity. Her dream is to train other women who are interested in her line of trade and ultimately create employment. She says women should desist from sitting around waiting for their husbands to bring food on the table as there are a lot of businesses they could venture into.
Kaseke also said capital is not the worst hindrance in setting up a business because one can start from nothing and end up with something.
One of Sharon Kaseke’s designs
“Women should stop sitting around waiting for things to happen for them, there are pretty much a lot of businesses they can do which do not even require a lot of capital”
“We can rise ladies if we explore our inner selves, that special gift is within each and every one of us, we can beat poverty if we want to,” she said.
Another, who emerged from humble beginnings, Faina Shonge is now a fully-fledged business woman who, two decades ago specialized in applique designs only but has since widened her horizon and her designs now range from clothes to jewellery.
She says when she first started this business, it was all about decorating homes, but to keep afloat in the ever competitive market, she had to up her game and that is when she started to design T shits, hats, African couture, curios and custom made hand bags to name just a few.
Now a proud owner of a shop in the city, Shonge says she started from nothing but she reached where she is now from saving her money until she was flexible to occupy a big shop.
“I started from, nothing but I have reached a level where I can say I have something but it was all possible because I saved money,” she says.
Her designs are mostly of Zimbabwean heritage and they include t shirts, caps and handbags inscribed with the Zimbabwean bird, Great Zimbabwe ruins or Victoria Falls images etc.
She also designs earrings, rings and other fashion jewelry using beads, seeds from various wild trees, wood etc. She says the response she receives from her fellow women is overwhelming and that she encourages other women especially the young to utilize time and start using their talents especially art as it can sustain their livelihood.
“The support I receive from my fellow women is just amazing, this shows that we are capable of overcoming poverty if we work really hard and I urge the younger ladies to start utilizing their talents, be artistic and do not hesitate to try out new things, as long as it’s clean, do not look down upon yourself,” Shonge said.
She urged the married women to help their partners saying it was both their responsibility to raise their family saying women are fully capable of earning more than their husbands therefore they should shun mediocrity and looking down upon themselves.
Another notable lady is Colleen Mukanya from Bulawayo who is not only keeping her surroundings clean but is also making a living out of crafting handbags and purses decorated by beads made from recycled magazines.
She also says her business is less capital intensive yet it has a big market and it is her hope that every lady should realize empowering themselves is far much better than seeking employment.
Minister Sthembiso Nyoni, addressing several women at the Rural Women Convention said it is the Ministry has the mandate of promoting women’s full participation in the economy at all levels and in all economic sectors.
She said strengthening the role of women is crucial in reducing poverty therefore the ministry has taken a leading role in harnessing the untapped potential and skills diversity of women through their participation in the value chains of the key economic sectors such as Agriculture, Tourism, Trade and Mining.
She said those that have keen interests in starting up their own businesses should take advantage of the Women’s Micro-finance Bank which was established to address challenges women face in accessing affordable project funds and the Women Development Fund whose main thrust is to address the lack of collateral amongst women and the high interest rates being charged by commercial banks.
Worldwide, it is undeniable that women are key to food security and agriculture, they play a pivotal role in advocating for children‘s rights, quality health provision and peace makers in times of conflict. Therefore the notion that poverty has the face of a woman should be challenged and ultimately be dismissed with all the contempt that it deserves with massive national testimonies.
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