Our Programs
Vocational Training
& Job Creation
Creating opportunity
We empower women through business training, such as in financial literacy and entrepreneurship, as well as life skills training like farming, sewing, hairdressing and tailoring to support their economic independence, and provide wider life choices and better prospects for their families. Girls are taught how to plan a business, make a profit and to save money.
We currently have 10 participants in the program, learning to sew on our 4 sewing machines and learning to care for our 50 chickens.
We push our girls to believe in themselves and their power, and we want them to feel independent and capable even if a further education is not something they want or have access to. With vocational training, they can become businesswomen, financially stable, and confident - without the need to turn to ill-suited marriages or unsafe work for stability.
We also explore the risk of early marriage - discussing both how to avoid it and how to raise awareness with other girls and young women. Plus, we teach our young women about their rights, HIV and AIDS, and provide education about sexual and reproductive health. To reduce the impact of traumatic events and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and increase mental wellness, we invest in prevention and resiliency practices and programs.
Sustainable Development Goals addressed:
Malawi has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world, with one in two girls being married before the age of 18.
High child marriage rate
Having chickens gives the Voices Awake home numerous sustainable benefits - we can eat and sell eggs, plus girls learn the vocational skills to care for them.
25,550 eggs a year
Our program currently provides training to 10 young women. They learn to sew, develop leadership skills, business skills, and financial literacy, and practice animal husbandry.
