04/03/2026
Widow Empowerment Focus
In Lusaka, many widows have long been excluded from income opportunities, leadership spaces, and financial decision-making.
At Charity Movement for Children and Widows in Need (CMCWIN), we saw this reality up close, and we built something to change it.
Through our initiative, CMCWIN Salaula for Sustainability & Widow Empowerment, we are proud to be part of The AFWAG Network Equity Relay, a pan-African campaign that proves gender justice solutions already exist.
They were built by the very women who needed them most.
Our approach is simple but impactful.
Widows come together to trade second-hand clothing, run their own revolving fund, and reinvest what they earn into school fees, healthcare, small businesses, and a more stable life for their families.
So what makes this different?
Widows are not beneficiaries - they are owners.
They control the capital.
They make the decisions.
They lead the governance.
When a woman earns her own income, her family finds its footing. When she leads, her whole community begins to shift. Economic dignity is not a luxury - it is the foundation of everything.
This solution was not designed in a boardroom. It was built right here, by widows, for widows. And now we are taking it beyond Lusaka, sharing it across Africa.
We are passing the baton to Women's Initiative for Stability, Health and Empowerment (WISE-H). Follow their story on 5th March.
What homegrown solution are you carrying?
