In Malawi, gender inequality is a big issue because traditionally women are responsible for taking care of the house and cooking. To advocate for change, the Centre for Research and Development Initiative (CERADI), with funding from Global Affairs Canada through the Commonwealth of Learning, embarked on a three-year project called Empowering Women and Girls. The project is being implemented in Traditional Authority Simphasi and Kapondo in Mchinji and Kalembo in Balaka, and one of its aims is to empower women and girls through vocational skills training.
Sophie Tibula, a 19-year-old from Mzati Village in Traditional Authority Simphasi, was enrolled in welding and fabrication and she has this to say:
"I am so grateful to CERADI for giving me this opportunity of becoming a welder. It has been my dream since I left secondary school. In my village welding is regarded as men’s work but when I got the news that I am one of the successful candidates to be enrolled on a vocational skills training in welding I was so overwhelmed. It feels so good because this dream is going to become true, I have always wanted to be an artisan. Though I have just started but I have the confidence that I will make it because this will transform my life and I believe I will inspire more girls in my village. My plan is to start my own workshop in my village to prove to them that there is no job that is only meant for men. It is in my best interest to contribute towards the development of my village through training that I will be offering to my fellow youths.”
