• Women and men in WfC operational areas are sharing responsibilities

• Women’s workload in WfC operational areas has reduced.
• There is an increased awareness and sensitivity to gender
• Women and men are responsive to gender concerns such as preventing property grabbing and reporting domestic violence and child defilement to the victim support unit of the Zambia Police Service
• There has been a noticeable reduction in instances of wife inheritance
• Increased access to and control over resources and benefits by women 
• Banning of negative cultural practices, customs and traditions that perpetuate women’s subordination
• There is a noticeable increase in the number of women participating in governance and taking up leadership positions be it in relation to traditional positions as village headpersons or political leadership as councillors in WfC operational areas
• Consequently increased participation in decision making by women at household and community level has been observed in WfC operational areas.

Training in leadership and Popular Education Methodologies (PEM) has helped the area associations manage their groups properly and to be accountable and participatory. PEM tools have further enabled the group members to reduce dependency and are working together within their available resources to contribute to the reduction of their poverty and problems affecting them.

Women for Change also works towards improving livelihoods of women and men in the operational areas through income generating activities. These include animal restocking, seed multiplication, bee keeping, fish farming and gardening. Women for Change has also commissioned boreholes and protected wells in a number of districts in its operational areas. In cooperation with its partners, Women for Change has a credit scheme that disimburses loans and grants for the communities. Training in Cooperative Management has empowered group members with knowledge and skills in cooperative management which they are applying in the smooth running of their cooperatives. WfC initiated cooperatives are now accessing inputs from government. More importantly, government is using these cooperatives to distribute inputs to rural communities.

WfC’s work to improve the livelihoods of women and men has very concrete impact:

• improved nutrition among the beneficiaries.
• improved relationships and group cohesion
• WfC’s presence has enhanced in the rural communities and improved the working relations with group members
• Group members are now helping each other to send their children to school and to access basic necessities such as health through sale of animals
• Access to clean drinking water within short distance therefore reducing, particularly, women’s workload
• Reduction in instances of water borne diseases
• Group’s economic status has improved and increased  their chances of getting loans from other financing institutions using their animals as collateral
• Through networking some groups are able to access funding on their own and get funding for their own income generating activities.
• Sources of income for members and groups have broadened

Women for Change also works towards effective Participation of Traditional Leaders and Rural Communities in democratic governance and national. Women for Change facilitates district workshops on human rights where the communities discuss development, democracy, human rights, gender and HIV/AIDS. This work improves the general understanding of the local communities on matters of good governance and democracy. Involving the traditional leaders in the human rights training has enhanced their capacities and has helped in banning harmful traditional practices and in transforming gender roles. The chiefs now have a common voice in the national development issues through the establishment of the National and Regional Royal Foundations.

One of Women for Change’s strategic objectives is improved livelihoods of children and youth and enhanced quality of life, especially for orphans and those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. WfC concentrates on skills and knowledge development of children and youth through training and workshops on HIV/AIDS, income generating activities and encourages peer educators such as the youth from University of Zambia support group. Through these activities gender and HIV/AIDS awareness and sensitivity among youth in the operational areas has improved, knowledge of basic rights of children and youth has resulted in higher enrolment numbers of school children in the operational areas, young girls who had married or got pregnant have returned to school.  As peer educators, university students have a deeper understanding of rural development, gender, human rights, participatory methods and problems associated with community development. WfC directly supports selected school going orphans, child headed households and vulnerable children. Although the number of children receiving direct support is not adequate, those who receive support have shown interest in completing school. The support also increases literacy levels among orphans and increased school attendance.  

The work that Women for Change carries out has a deep impact in the areas that it operates in. The above are only a few examples of our achievements. However, a lot of work remains to be done and Women for Change continues to strive for a society where there is gender equality in social, political, and economic development.