THE Amangwe Self Help Group (SHG) concept introduced in 2009 has seen hundreds of women prosper in entrepreneurial ventures and an additional 16 employed by the organisation to maintain the successful projects.
The Amangwe programme was acknowledged by the Durban-based Sinamandla Organisation at its Strategic Review meeting last week and saw Amangwe Village members walk away with special achievement awards in Economic Empowerment, SHG Manager of the Year and several others.
The rapidly growing project has within five years enrolled 2 824 SHG members, with 33 400 household members benefitting from the project on a monthly basis, of which 19 445 are under the age of 18.
‘The group members are involved in various income-generating activities and have since the launch built 27 houses, started more than 20 tuck shop businesses, mobilised 150 people doing bead work, several women selling lunch to schools and others selling snacks and airtime from their homes,’ said Amangwe Village Manager Erna Steynberg.
The functioning groups hail from Sokhulu, Ntambanana and KwaMtethwa.
‘A group member had a slab laid on her property several years back for a RDP house but nothing happened. She then took a loan in 2013 from her group and built her own house,’
‘It is clear that women have the power to change their own destiny,’ said Steynberg.
