Gender-Based Violence Survivors Gather to Form Community-Based Organization: Vumwe Wezesha

On June 19 in Tanzania, 98 women involved in Empower Tanzania’s Beyond Gender-Based Violence Program gathered together to connect and plan the next steps for their social enterprise. The 10 groups decided to move forward with forming a Community-Based Organization (CBO) called “Vumwe Wezesha”! The District Community Development Office (DCDO) representatives Charles Anatoly and his assistant Debora attended the meeting to provide support and explain the process. The women of Vumwe Wezesha/Vumwe Designs have submitted an application and elected leaders, then will record members at the ward level and draft a constitution to be approved by the members. What an incredible milestone for these resilient women who have developed long-lasting relationships while healing themselves, discovering economic empowerment, and changing the lives of their families!

They also discussed marketing, product development, and other entrepreneurial aspects of their growing business. In addition to the women and government officials, Catherine, Eli, and the entire Empower Tanzania staff in Tanzania attended (our US Executive Director, Todd Byerly, was also there for this event).

Empower Tanzania stands with the women to help them walk through this process and continue counseling services as needed. This gathering of goodness leaves us filled with gratitude and hope as this new exciting chapter of true empowerment is explored!

Vumwe Designs Ethical Tourism Workshop

It was an especially busy month for a few of these women, as 10 group leaders joined us at the Same Learning Center on June 12. We had the honor of hosting an ethical tourism workshop for Vumwe Designs. A great group of 14 travelers from Iowa enjoyed an immersive experience to learn about cultural dying techniques while supporting the resilient women of our Fair Trade Social Enterprise.