As one way of ensuring safety of women and girls in the construction industry, Illovo sugar Malawi Plc has donated worksuits and safety boots worth 7.5 million to the Skilled Women Artisans in Malawi (SWAM).
Illovo Sugar made the donation on Wednesday, 20 March, 2024 in Blantyre, where the company’s Managing Director Lekani Katandula said the gesture is part of the company’s commitment to creating a thriving community.
Katandula said he hopes the donation which will benefit 85 women under the incubation project, will inspire other women to take on these nontraditional roles in the construction industry.
“Our sponsorship of safety boots and protective overalls worth K7.5 million is not merely a donation; it is an investment in the future of these artisans while ensuring their protection against injuries such as cuts, burns, trips and falls while they are doing their work which includes plumbing, electrical installations, fabrication and welding, brick laying and painting.
“By providing the necessary protective wear, we are not only ensuring the physical well-being of these women but also empowering them to pursue their craft with confidence and dignity. We believe that every woman deserves the opportunity to pursue her passion without compromise, and today, we take a step forward in making that vision a reality,” said Katandula.
He then commended Mary Chokani Mphonda, the founder of the Skilled Women Artisans in Malawi operating under the Amisili Paulendo Program for establishing an initiative which address challenges faced by women in the construction industry, among others job scarcity, lack of pay during attachments, and inadequate working conditions.
Reacting to the donation, SWAM founder Mary Mphonda, while thanking the Illovo Sugar, said the donation will help them in effective implementation of their Amisili Paulendo programme, claiming it will instill confidence and ensuring safety of the women.
Mphonda said in 2021, while working on a construction project, she got interested in how artisans at the project were working and noticed that they lacked some basic project management skills to help them do their job well and also necessary soft skills to help them in their career, hence the introduction of a capability program for all artisans.
The SWAM founder, further expressed optimism that the Amisili Paulendo programme will contribute a lot in the realization of the Malawi 2063 agenda, especially on mindset change.
“As Malawi makes strides towards achieving its Vision 2063 goals, a mindset change is needed for all of us to build positivity and encourage these young women artisans that Ndizotheka, it is possible to have Women Artisans in Construction; it is possible to have Ngwazi za Chikazi,” said Mphonda.
She then indicated that membership to the group is free to any young woman enrolled in the TEVET programs or other vocational programs, or those who completed their studies and added that the targeted programs are plumbing, electrical installation and electronics, fabrication and welding, carpentry and joinery, bricklaying, painting and decoration.
