Soap Hero: One Woman’s Journey into Soap Making and Economic Empowerment - #International Day of Rural Women 2021

Zawadi Maransi lives in Goma, North Kivu Province in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with her husband and their two children. She has been active in the Mawe Tatu (II) project since 2019, participating in a VSLA group, partaking in entrepreneurship trainings, and even eventually starting her own successful soap-making business.

Zawadi Maransi

BEFORE MAWE TATU

Before her soap business was up and running, Zawadi was not able to find a way to consistently contribute to meeting household needs for her family. Her family was surviving 100% on the money her husband received from his work, and even then, it was only a means to get from day to day – it was not a long term solution or sufficient, not even fully covering a month’s needs. Borrowing money was a frequent option, but that only further complicated  her family’s  financial situation. “We could borrow from where we normally buy goods in the neighborhood…[but] I knew at the end of the month, I will have money and when money comes, I have no other option but to put aside enough to first cover what we borrowed the previous month.” This meant she would start each month with continual gaps, as not enough was left over to address present and upcoming needs – thus forcing her and her family into a continued cycle of perpetual borrowing.

“The constant borrowing made me less stable and pushed me to start thinking about something to do to help fill those gaps. For me, I really wanted to work, and while I was planning to work, I could not start without money.”

AFTER MAWE TATU

With the help and support of her husband as well as the savings, she was able to invest in her VSLA group. Zawadi  was able to put away small amounts of money to work towards building the start-up capital required to launch a business (all while thinking about exactly what kind of activity she wanted to pursue). She also knew it was important to save enough within her VSLA to render herself eligible to borrow funds from this group – as this would be key capital in getting her business launched. Having recently been pregnant, Zawadi was not able to work much and saw herself as limited in what she could do as a woman and mother; however, after participating in certain discussions and activities, including much time spent with her VSLA group, under the Mawe Tatu project, she came to realize that there are many avenues she could pursue in terms of income generating activities. 

“It was my first time joining a VSLA. It was the first VSLA I joined, and I am thankful I found a good one that is helping me save and reach my goals.”

Through (basic & advanced) entrepreneurship courses led by the Mawe Tatu project and in conjunction with her VSLA group, Zawadi was able to identify soap making as her chosen activity. With a better understanding of how to manage money, save money, and start-up and brand an independent business, as well as equipped with a loan of $400 from her VSLA and a donated soap- making machine from the Mawe Tatu project, Zawadi’s business began. 

She first worked as part of another start-up, before branching out on her own. At first, manually, before she was gifted the machine by the project, she produced on average 360L of soap a week bringing in $50, or averaging around $200 per month. With the machine, she can now save time (and labor costs) and produces more good quality (homogenized) soap, around 1080L every 1-2 weeks and averaging at least $300 per month. With this stable and increased income, Zawadi and her family no longer worry any more that they will not be able to meet their needs for the month to come, even planning further than 30 days out. She and her husband are relieved of constant borrowing, and Zawadi is hoping to continue to expand production in the months to come.

MAWE TATU

The Mawe Tatu project first started in 2015, and has been assisting men, women, and youth in and around Goma and Bukavu cities across the North and South Kivu provinces of Eastern DRC. The current project cycle, Mawe Tatu II, has been running since December 2019, financed through to the close of 2022 for just under 4.8M Euros by the Dutch Embassy, or the Kingdom of the Netherlands. With several partners,  including ADJ, COMEN, GEL, and ZMQ and managed by the CARE NL Member Party/HQ  team but implemented/led by the CARE DRC Country Office, Mawe Tatu aims to improve the socio-economic status of women and youth through entrepreneurship, engaging  men, and boys in positive masculinity, and promoting sexual and reproductive rights.

In its first year (December 2019 – close of 2020), Mawe Tatu II has created 461 VSLAs including 9,646 female members (of which 1,469 are girls), allowing for a total savings of $478,482 USD and the granting of over $420,000 in loans. In terms of entrepreneurship, 6,330 women and girls have completed basic skills training, with 350 following up with the advanced training; of those trained, 1,335 were able to start up their own business activities (though 1,913 have been able to successfully develop a business plan). Additionally, the program uses the Social Analysis and Action (SAA) approach,  a community-led process, to identify  and prioritize  norms that prevent women and youth from fully enjoying their socio-economic rights.