From idea to impact

My Story

My name is Rejoice Shumba. I am a Zimbabwean. I grew up in Zimbabwe but got an opportunity to be educated in Zimbabwe where I qualified for a Bachelor of Social Sciences and continued with my studies up to PhD level.

My PhD studies ignited a passion for social change through social entrepreneurship. I believe in the power of education in uplifting people out of poverty. My own life is a testimony of how education can transform someone’s life. Unfortunately not many women have access to education.

Uneducated women have access to fewer opportunities and find themselves trapped in poverty, dysfunctional relationships and low-income jobs just to survive.

I would like to start an organisation that trains rural women as well as women from marginalized communities in basic skills such as bread making, jewelery making, food preservation etc, assists them to start cooperatives and links them to the market. The organisation would also fund the enterprises, help women to manage them and link them to business mentors.

I have started developing the idea and have also approached people who can assist me to launch the organisation. I am in the process of registering the non-profit organisation and also mobilizing funding for it. I have conducted research on the projects that the women can start and on who can provide the necessary training. I have also identified a number of women who will be part of the first cohort of trainees. I will start with one community and with time, I will expand to other communities depending on the impact that our efforts will be making in the community.

I am lacking in a number of skills that are vital for the success of this initiative. I need fundraising skills, strategic planning skills, and negotiating skills just to name a few.

I am passionate about women’s economic empowerment and about social change. I believe that if a woman is equipped with the right skills, she can start a business that can make a huge difference in her family. When women are financially empowered, they can educate their children and also make healthier choices regarding their family’s nutrition.