ZOKOMA –KATUTULA

Zokoma PTB is specifically located in the north west of Mchinji district about 76 km from Mchinji Satellite centre and three km away from the Zambian Border. It is this reason of being along the border that kept many lending institution shun this area, fearing that people may escape to Zambia after securing the loan. Most of the people around the area grow tobacco as a cash crop and maize as staple food. Very few individuals do small scale businesses around the area though still growing maize as a staple food.

Zokoma PTB conducts their group meetings twice a month at the Lenia’s home.  During the meetings, they base their discussions on improving their businesses, on savings and also ways of overcoming some social challenges. The group is in their fourth cycles and their spirit of oneness has grown so strong and this has been revealed more in their good repayment in the past three cycles.

BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

The members of Katutula PTB as stated earlier, are involved in different small scale businesses such as selling vegetables, selling of fish, butchery, mobile restaurant and Tea room. On a good market their average  earnings is at least MK3, 500 unlike in the past before they secured their loans one would come home with an average earnings of MK 500. The group has experienced remarkable improvements in their business operation and this has really improved their life style.  As of now they do not have permanent employees to help them but they are assisted by their spouses, children and other dependants.

EDUCATION

Most of the members of Zokoma  PTB did not go very far with education, they only  manage to do part of primary  school, as the most educated member of the group went as far as STD 8. Nevertheless the group has children both in primary and secondary school. They have  come to realize the importance   of education especially for the girl child who in this area is always vulnerable to  miners from Zambia as the area is right on the boarder and also to big tobacco farmers of the area. The girl child when given an opportunity of education they believe will make sound and independent decisions in future on both economic and social issues, not to suffer in the hands of miners and tobacco farmers  who because of their good economic status tend have so many sex partners. The members aspire for their children to attain at least tertiary education. They now believe that their dreams will come true with the assistance of the funds they borrow from Opportunity Bank Malawi.

Their nearest school is Nkama Junior Primary School which is within the village and Namangwe Full primary school which is about 5 to 6 kms from where they are staying.  They have a Community Day Secondary School at Mkanda. However one thing that worries the members of Zokoma PTB is the congestion of kids which is the result of shortage of teachers in these government schools. Getting quality education is a big challenge to the village children and parents. Nevertheless , the dream of one day sending their children to better schools for quality education they believe will come true as they already see loans changing their life fully.

LIVING STANDARDS.

All members of Zokoma PTB  have lived in the village of Katutula since their birth.  Just like many Malawian villages that most houses are made of mud and thatched with grass, Zokoma PTB members are not exceptional except one who has old iron sheet thatched roof. Within cycles some members of the PTB have molded bricks for the building of their better house and they believe funs they borrow from Opportunity Bank Malawi will help them to build better houses with electricity and running water. As of now they access drinking water from shall wells which are within the village.

HEALTH

The village has Katutula under five clinics which is within the village and Mkanda health center which is at a distance of 14km from the village. These are government owned clinics hence all health facilities accessed on free cost  but mostly run out of medicine and also are mostly congested. The members Zokoma PTB  with these loans facilities  they access from Opportunity Bank Malawi and profits they are getting they opt to visit Tamanda Private Clinic which is just on the border of Malawi, where one is assured of good medical services.

OTHER TRANSFORMATION INDICATORS

The Zokoma  members are active and participate in all the development activities in the village. They are all Christians . In their daily life, they are involved in development activities i.e. road maintenance work, school development work. The members also help one another with financial assistance and advices when one’s business is going down. Being young people too they help each other in other social challenges that they meet in their day to day life.

DATA FOR ZOKOMA  PTB

 Zokoma PTB members saluting Opportunity Bank Malawi. ….

Clients Name: Loveness Yohane.

Loveness, a single mother of four, has a all the reasons to thank the Opportunity Bank Malawi for the positive U turn of her life style. She is Thirty Seven years old and a reliable member of Zokoma – Katutula PTB. Since the separation with her husband Loveness has raised the four children alone, who at this time, Litiness the first born daughter has just sat for the Junior Certificate Exams and Lebium the youngest boy is in STD Three. 

The soft spoken Loveness sells goats’ meat at Katutula trading centre and sometimes she takes the meet to different markets around the area. Loveness has been in this business for two years now. She actually ventured in this business in order to make a living with her four kids.

Counting her success  Loveness says it was not easy for her to run a very challenging  business like hers as culture dictates that men are the only one who can do businesses that involves blood .All the same she had to rise above her circumstances and challenges in order to be where she  is today.

BUSINESS ACTIVITY

Fired up to stand tall in the society where women looked down upon themselves Loveness ventured into  a butcher business. she buys live goats and then hire men to slaughter them for her,  then she takes the meat to different trading centre where that day there a market. This is a very challenging business for a young lady like her but earns her a good profit. On a good market Loveness   comes home with a profit not less than MK2500 per goat which means if she slaughters two goats the profit would be more.

Having accessed the loans from Opportunity Bank Malawi for four cycles Loveness has managed to buy pigs to multiply which she believes that very soon would bring her money.

Plans are in pipe line to diversify her business into a grocery shop which involves very little travelling and let butcher to be run by an employee. She feels as she grows old she will not be able to run up and down to different markets as she does today.  

 Loveness feeding her pigs.

EDUCATION

Loveness did not go far with her education, but only managed to reach standard Four then was taken went to work at Mkanda Health Centre as a house girl at one of the clinical officer’s house at a consent of her father. It is this painful experience that has made her realize the importance of education especially to a girl child who when denied a chance to be educated are usually prone to domestic violence’s and AIDS victims due their marginalized economic status. 

With zeal and enthusiasm, Loveness has managed to pay fees for first daughter Litiness who is doing secondary education and she has just sat for her Junior Certificate exams. She has hope that with the loans she gets from Opportunity Bank Malawi she will see Litiness and the other three children graduate in one of the universities in Malawi.

No wonder Litiness herself confidently says she want to be a nurse when she finishes school.

LIVING STANDARD

Loveness and her family has been born and living in Katutula village ever since. She has small thatched house which has no electricity and piped water. They access water from the bore which is within their village. But she has plans to build a better house in future depending on the growth of her businesses.

She also salutes Opportunity Bank Malawi for with profits she makes she was able to buy fertilizer which has resulted into enough food to feed her family for the whole year.

HEALTH

Amayi a Liti,(mother of Litiness) as she popularly called has Mkanda Government  health centre as their nearest hospital which is a free service hospital. However  Loveness opt to  Tamanda private clinic   as it has most of the medicines and the services are much better than the government health centre which  most of the times run out of drugs. It also has poor services. She has manages to go to this paying hospital because of the profits she realize from her business boosted by Opportunity Bank Malawi.

OTHER TRANSFORMATION INDICATORS

Loveness being one of the young ladies in the group, she participates in many social activities in her community such as wedding, initiation and funeral ceremonies. While other women were waiting for their husband to do everything for them, she has set the example that women too can be active in bringing about development in society. 

Loveness participates in all activities and is a leading example to other women. This has led to her being chosen a treasurer of the women group in her church.

Moved by transformation lessons Loveness has vowed that a month will not go without making a saving of not less than MK500 into their account. It is these savings that hold the dreams of Loveness and her children that one day they family shall own a shop. For her “the sky is the limit”.

She is very happy to be part of the Zokoma group and the members too are happy to have her as one of them. Her motherly love and care to the group has been pillar of strength to all members. 

       Loveness and her daughter     Enjoying happy moments.