Sustainable energy is relatively new for many communities in Malawi, a country where only 42 % of the urban population and 4 % of the rural population are connected to power.

Women face constraints including lack of assets, limited income and restricted access to finance and credit. To tackle these issues, the EU-funded Breaking the Barriers programme has reached 946 women, organised into 38 cooperatives to develop businesses using sustainable energy. The women are supported with business management and training, and receive infrastructure support, such as processing plants, solar-powered dryers and juicers.

Building back after Idai
Clara, 32, lives with her twin five-year-old boys Francis and Caleb. Struggling after her clothes business was affected by the Cyclone Idai floods, Clara joined the Tsapa women’s group in Chikwawa district. ‘Our businesses were coming to a standstill because our customers had lost everything to the floods,’ she explains.

Encouraged to join the Tsapa women’s group by a friend, Clara has seen real benefits for herself and her children. The group has developed a new range of dried fruit and vegetables, produced using a solar dryer donated through the programme. They make products such as banana chips, for sale. They also have a new factory building with lighting powered by solar panels.

The group is assisted by Christian Aid and its partner EAGLES Relief and Development. In the slick and professional operation, the women work together to prepare, dry and package the fruit. They’ve just ordered a refrigerated van which they will use to deliver their products across southern Malawi.

Since joining, Clara has used the profits she’s made to rebuild her business. The additional income means she can now send her sons to school and buy land to start building a house. ‘We are grateful to Christian Aid and the EU for bringing us together into this group. Our lives and families are transformed,’ said Clara.

Breaking the Barriers
The four-year EU-funded Breaking the Barriers programme is supporting 201 women’s groups in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Honduras and Malawi to establish their own sustainable energy businesses and promote gender equality. In partnership with EAGLES Relief and Development, New Building Society Bank and Foundation for Irrigation and Sustainable Development, it supports women in Karonga, Mangochi, and Chikwawa districts in Malawi.

To date, 188 jobs have been created through the new enterprises in Malawi. The women’s average monthly income has increased by 10 percent, which will continue to grow as the groups increase their production and sales.

The programme supports the women to challenge gender imbalances in their homes and communities, encouraging them to take part in family discussions, and increasing their decision-making power over their household income.

The programme’s work to engage with government stakeholders is also recognised by the project participants as essential for its sustainability.