Tithetse Village Savings and Loans group is a group of 15 women from Traditional Authority (T/A) Ndanga, Mulanje district. The group which includes 5 Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) participants, started in 2015 focusing on farming activities of growing tomatoes and other vegetables and has since expanded to being a bakery enterprise.

Tithetse meaning “to eradicate or to end” is a group of determined women, determined to change the livelihoods of their households. Building on the gains of Pro-ACT, in 2021, the Social Support for Resilience (SoSuRe) project with funding from the EU conducted an assessment to identify and train VSL groups engaged in bakery enterprises. In this assessment, Tithetse group was selected among other 11 VSL groups that were engaging in the bakery enterprise and showed growth potential. The groups were trained in bakery management and oven construction in addition to the refresher training in VSL methodology, business management, and financial literacy among others by the SoSuRE Village Agents. They were also provided with start-up materials which included a fuel-efficient oven, baking materials such as sugar, flour, bread improver, margarine, baking trays, cooking oil, baking powder, milk, eggs, and a digital scale.

“Before their involvement with the SoSuRe project, the Tithetse VSL group lacked baking skills and proper knowledge of costing and pricing techniques for their products. They also had difficulty in calculating their profits and losses, as well as marketing their products. The training and support provided by the program have helped the group overcome these challenges and grow their bakery enterprise” shares Lucy Kathumba, Tithetse VSL Village Agent.

Since starting the bakery in July 2022, the group has seen significant progress in sales. They bake twice a week and have generated a total of MK650,000.00 (approximately €650), with a profit of MK230,000.00 (€230) within three months. With the money generated from sales, the group constructed a shelter for its oven, as the rainy season was fast approaching. The project supported the group with roofing materials to complete the construction of the oven house.

Recognizing the impact of using firewood in baking and the importance of preserving the environment, the group has taken steps to reduce their dependence on firewood by developing a tree nursery.

“By planting trees, we realized that we could preserve the environment and create a sustainable source of fuel for the firewood. We appreciate the support the project and our chief rendered in ensuring that the setting up of the nursery was a success where they provided tree seedlings and a portion of land. “shares Rosina Simoni, chair lady for the VSL group.

SoSuRe works to increase resilience to climate change and other shocks, such as COVID-19, for 29,566 households. A 30-month project builds on the foundations laid by the Pro-ACT project to support project participants in building the resilience of people most vulnerable households to food and climate change shocks in Mulanje and Zomba. Interventions like the VSL training have allowed groups like Tithese to start businesses and ensure that they have the tools and support to transition from dependence on the Government of Malawi’s financial support, to sustain their livelihoods.