Hand in Hand Zimbabwe interventions have made massive and traceable impact in the lives of rural women under its portfolio. Since 2015 to date, the organisation has mobilised 20 847 women from its seven districts of operation for its capacity building projects.

43-year-old Otilia Mugwagwa was lucky to be part of these capacity building projects as she now runs a lucrative tailoring business.

The mother of three (3) from Ward 21 Chirumanzu district says the 6-month long business development trainings she received from Hand in Hand Zimbabwe under its Community Upliftment Project (CUP) greatly aided her in setting up her tailoring enterprise.

“Before meeting Hand in Hand Zimbabwe, I was already in business but I used to make losses at the end of each month due to my lack of business acumen. My narrative however changed after joining Hand in Hand Zimbabwe as I developed from being a mere tailor to a fully-fledged businesswoman,” she said.

As part of her marketing strategy, Otilia recently started renting a retail shop at Muwani business centre in order to make her workspace accessible to different customers.

“I am grateful to have been part of the women that have been trained and mentored by Hand in Hand Zimbabwe.

“When I first joined the organisation, I didn’t know anything about saving money and how to operate a small scale business but I am now running a lucrative business,” she said

Otilia gets an average income of USD$600 and her profit ranges from USD$250.00 to USD$300.00 per month after purchasing the clothing material she needs and paying rent for her shop. To top it all, she can now take care of her family with great ease.

“My vision is to acquire heavy-duty machinery for my tailoring business.

“These include heavy duty irons, modern electrified sewing machines and an overlocking machine. I want my business to grow until I no longer rent but own a tailoring shop,” she said.