Working alone, women in the community often shoulder the burden of managing the household, caring for infants, children, the sick and elderly. They gather water and firewood, prepare food and work in the fields. They have severely limited economic power and often lack the means to provide for daily expenses, including furthering the education of their children.
However, when women join together they form a powerful force for social and economic change.
Women’s groups provide a critical social support network and allow women to pool resources and gain valuable skills training. They provide a solid organizational base to develop and launch successful entrepreneurial ventures.
These efforts by women are often fueled by a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of their families, to gain social and economic freedom and to contribute back to their communities. Supporting women’s groups helps to develop a strong and diversified work force, increase educational opportunities especially for young girls, and strengthen the overall social and economic potential of the community.
I-KODI is committed to working in partnership with women’s groups in Pap-Onditi and to assist women in gaining the necessary business skills and training. We work with women to determine which business ventures have a proven record of success and what products will have the greatest impact in the community.
Our initiatives center around providing women access to training in programs that provide significant social and economic benefit. Programs can include the sale and distribution of solar powered Luci Lights, local manufacture of reusable sanitary pads for girls, and women-powered construction of local water tanks.
Our goal is to integrate the efforts of these women into the larger fabric of the community.
In the future, we hope to provide a community meeting space for training in the newly constructed Early Childhood Education center at the Konditi Primary School; to launch partnerships with organizations such as New Course, which provides training and Luci Lights to women’s cooperatives, and to engage in a groundbreaking new program that provides women with training in construction of much needed water storage tanks.
We invite you to join us in these exciting new initiatives and to support the development of social enterprise by women’s groups in Pap-Onditi.
Your generosity is deeply appreciated.
I-KODI is a registered, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization
