“My life started again all thanks to the Women Creating Wealth programme,” – Matilda Kambanga, a business owner, Tanzania
Matilda Kambanga is part of the Graça Machel Trust Women Creating Wealth (WCW) programme that aims to build the capacity of 1 000 women-owned enterprises to grow and scale their businesses in Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.
When she lost one of her children, who she got, after years of failing to get pregnant, Matilda thought that was the end of her life until she came across the WCW programme. “The women made me believe again and fight for my dream,” she says.
Matilda initially joined the program to sell her spiced popcorn but she got much more than she had bargained for – she discovered her passion of healing and helping people.
Her story is that of courage and triumph – she drew strength from her misfortunes and went on to help others. Matilda never thought that entrepreneurship was her niche. She had planned to do her PhD but unfortunately while completing her MBA, got into an accident that left her bedridden for two years.
Four years into her marriage, Matilda discovered that she couldn’t conceive. Through this ordeal, Matilda learnt how her body works and she explored natural remedies. She was eventually healed and the couple was blessed with twins.
Matilda knew that there were a lot of people that were going through infertility issues but it was only later when she joined the WCW program that she started MSIA Healing at Home Consultancy which helps couples with infertility through using natural remedies. MSIA also offers guidance on leading a healthy life and offers support and counselling.
Tragedy struck when she lost one of her twins and she lost her reason for living. She got emotional support and encouragement from her husband, who stimulated her to join the WCW program to sell her spiced popcorn.
Through the WCW coaching, Matilda then aborted the idea of selling spiced popcorn and was guided to writing a business plan for her natural remedies which was where her passion truly was.
“I can truly say the programme transformed my life and saved me from depression. Honestly when I lost my daughter, I thought that was the end of me. I had nothing left but one day I saw on Facebook about the WCW program and I decided to apply not knowing what I will learn from it.”
Matilda with some of the beneficiaries of the WCW programme
MSIA is now a registered business and Matilda shares her knowledge with people in and outside Tanzania. Matilda shares that the natural remedies also help the women mentally and that it is not just for spouses but it also helps those without supportive husbands and with compounded emotional pain.
“I learned a lot on how pain can bring separation and poverty in families if it is not dealt with. It made me realize I can also talk about eternal healing through personal experience and help others heal. I became living proof of someone who has been in pain and got through it,” Matilda says
Matilda attended the Women Advancing Africa Forum in Tanzania in 2017 and she openly and honestly spoke about what she went through.
“The responses I got overwhelmed me and the women were so supportive. I discovered that infertility was also a huge problem in other countries. Mama Graca Machel encouraged me to impart my knowledge to other countries.”
Matilda’s main message for women out there is the importance of finding and nurturing your passion. Her biggest lessons were that time and effort is more valuable than money and one’s business can come out of your personal challenges and passions.
Matilda is just one of the many women who have benefited from a number of programmes under the Graça Machel Trust’s Women Creating Wealth initiative. Learn more about how the Trust has been working in Women’s Economic and Social Advancement.
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.