Zimbabwe: Empowered to Rise: A Community Reborn Through Skills and Leadership

Councillor Susan Sithole is a female councillor serving Ward 11 in Emakhandeni, under the City of Bulawayo. Her leadership extends beyond council meetings and policy discussions she is a hands-on community advocate who steps into the lived realities of her people. Through needs assessments, community engagement, and empowerment initiatives, she works closely with widows, women, youths, and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to help them restore dignity and economic independence. Her association with the marginalised groups started when she assumed leadership in Ward 11. It was then that she noticed serious financial struggles among many community members. Young people, women, widows, and PWDs were facing rising poverty, hardship, and limited opportunities. Some could not afford food, healthcare, or school fees, others lacked skills or income generating activities. 

 Idleness and drug abuse among youths were also becoming concerning. Seeing this, Councillor Sithole realised that the community needed practical and sustainable solutions not just temporary assistance that would be exhausted in a very short space of time. Whilst she was in the midst of trying to figure out solutions she was introduced to Gender Links through an induction workshop that latter opened many interesting avenues in the way she would deliver her duties. The encounter with Gender links modelled her strategic thinking around gender mainstreaming, mentorship, policy formulation and alignment among a host of transformative agendas. 

  She introduced a skills building programme for vulnerable groups, focusing on income generating activities such as dishwashing liquid making, juice and drink making, Vaseline and body lotion production, baking, and hairdressing. Her goal was to empower community members with real, usable skills that could help them start small businesses, reduce unemployment, and build long-term independence. As she often says, “Development is not something we wait for—development is something we create with our own hands.” The results of this initiative have been powerful. Women, youths, widows, and PWDs have since running small home based businesses, selling their soaps, lotions, baked goods, drinks, and offering hairdressing services. Many can now pay bills, support their families, and send their children to school. Confidence has grown, dependency has reduced, and young people are no longer idle or involved in drugs. Women now enjoy a sense of financial independence, and families are seeing improvements in their daily lives. Even though some participants cannot afford formal market stalls, their home businesses have already created a strong sense of pride and resilience in the community. 

 This transformation was made possible through practical training, mentorship, and consistent community engagement. In Cowdray Park, widows trained in vaseline and soap making are now producing, packaging, and marketing their goods. The once emotionally isolated and financially strained, can now generate income, support their families, participate in community markets, and work together with unity and purpose. One widow expressed this joy, saying, “We were suffering before, but now we can stand on our own.” 

 To ensure that this progress continues, Cllr Sithole has put in place sustainability measures such as ongoing training, refresher workshops, partnerships for affordable raw materials, and cooperative systems to strengthen teamwork. Financial literacy training, saving schemes, and reinvestment strategies are helping participants grow their businesses. Support from local authorities, NGOs, and community-based organisations will also provide grants, marketing assistance, and access to selling platforms. Community awareness continues to be built so that residents value and buy locally made products. Sustainability, to her, means giving people not just skills but also the confidence and networks to secure their futures. 

 The impact of the programme is visible in community testimonies, photos, and videos. Fatima, a tailor, shared, “After gaining new skills, I can now support my family in an independent and purposeful way”.  John, an entrepreneur, said, “This training gave me the confidence to start my business and my family is secure.” The empowered entreprenuars had gone steps ahead by introducing packaged and branded products including liquid soap, Vaseline, perfumes, and baked goods. Photos of training sessions, raw materials, packaging, and group activities reflect unity and progress. Local leaders have also witnessed increased productivity and confidence among participants.The community’s appreciation is loud and clear. Liberty Mabonabulawe Siziba said, “This is what we want to see—keep it up and don’t just do it for the media.” Khutshwekhaya expressed, “May the good Lord be with you, ma’am.” These heartfelt messages show how deeply the initiative has touched lives. 

 This story of change is not only about soap, lotions, or baked goods it is about restored dignity, revived hope, and a community rising through self-reliance. Councillor Susan Sithole remains committed to creating opportunities for women, youths, widows, and Persons with Disabilities. Together with her community, she continues to prove that empowered people are the strongest foundation for lasting development.  

 By: Susan Sithole