By Allison Beebe
Originally published at the blog “ELCA Malaria Campaign.” Republished with the permission of the author.
A group of women in rural Burure, Zimbabwe, recognized an opportunity in their community. The nearest grocery store was 5 kilometers away from their neighborhood, and the women thought it was important to have a shop with essential supplies closer to home. Working through the Lutheran malaria program in Zimbabwe, the women applied for a grant of seed money, which helped to get their small business up and running. Their grocery store (photo above, right) is one of the sustainable livelihoods projects of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe’s Lutheran malaria program.
Ten women share the responsibility of running the grocery store. The stakeholders keep the store stocked with food, water, cooking utensils, some clothing, laundry detergent, soap and other necessities for daily life. The members take turns minding the store, taking inventory and keeping records. The small store makes a big difference when it comes to easily accessing the products we all use every day.
The income generated by the grocery store can pay for things like transportation to hospitals or medication to treat malaria. Malaria is a disease of poverty, so helping households to break the cycle of poverty and disease is one way to reduce the impact of malaria in communities like Burure. The women use the proceeds of their grocery store to purchase supplies that help keep their families safe and healthy.
Allison Beebe is the campaign assistant for the ELCA Malaria Campaign.
