Young Women Rise (YOWORI), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working to promote the rights of women and girls in the country, is implementing a two-year project called Rays of Hope in Chiradzulu District to help households that were displaced by the 2023 Tropical Cyclone Freddy to recover financially.

The cyclone affected about 59 households from Ntauchira Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Likoswe where displaced households were relocated to Mussa Village, TA Nkalo in the district.

Speaking during a District Executive Committee (DEC) meeting this week, YOWORI, Executive Director, Milliam Chilemba said the project aims to economically empower 20 of the affected households to ensure their financial stability after the displacement.

“The project was initially meant to respond to the rapid needs of the Cyclone Freddy victims but since the funds are coming in now, it will help in the recovery stage,” she said, adding YOWORI will work with trade, community development, gender, and agriculture sectors at district level in addition to working with extension workers and community members at local level.

“After conducting needs assessment, we will establish Village Savings and Loans (VSL) groups and   will be given seed money for the members to grow,” she said.

Chilemba further said the organization plans to set up business groups which will be trained in business management and given capital to start small businesses so that they could generate money for their families to sustain livelihood.

Chiradzulu District Council, Acting Disaster Risk Management Officer, Patrick Mulinga said the project was crucial as it will help the targeted households to be self-reliant to support their families with household necessities such as food and school fees for their children.

Chiradzulu District Council, Director of Planning and Development, Henderson Kaumi, welcomed the intervention, saying the project has come at the right time to restore hope among affected households and expressed optimism that the initiative will provide their needs.

“The households requested financial resources to start small businesses after being relocated as most of them lost things that could support their livelihoods” he said.

The Rays of Hope project is being funded by Hilden Charitable Fund, a UK-based organisation to the tune of K22 million.