Women & Community Economic Empowerment

When bursaries alone are not enough to ensure that girls can access and remain in school, we must think beyond traditional approaches and invest in community-led solutions. This is where SOFF’s Women & Community  Economic Empowerment pillar becomes essential.

We are investing in community livelihoods—empowering women and communities with microgrants and training to initiate income-generating projects that reinvest into girls’ education and broader community development.

With funding and technical support from Spark Microgrants, we are implementing the Titukulane FCAP Program, a community-driven development initiative that brings together women and men, young and old, including ultra-poor and marginalized groups, in a structured process to develop a shared village vision and action plan. Together, communities launch local initiatives that respond to their priorities. By placing decision-making, planning, and resource management in the hands of the community, the FCAP approach ensures that villages are truly in the driver’s seat of their own development.

OUR IMPACT

94

Villages reached and provided with community microgrants

50

Percentage of Women participation in community leadership after FCAP program

7712

Households reached in Lilongwe and Kasungu districts

47772

Individuals benefitting directly from microgrants

Mchawa Village, located southwest of Lilongwe City, is home to 78 households. Historically, residents have faced persistent food insecurity as their subsistence farming often produced insufficient yields to sustain their families throughout the year. This persistent insecurity was a motivating factor for the village to build a greenhouse. The village’s strategic location along a river provides a reliable water source throughout the year, which is essential for irrigation. Additionally, its proximity to Bunda College of Agriculture provides access to technical support on greenhouse management, paving the way for the adoption of modern, more productive farming practices.

Meet Mkwekwete Village in Traditional Authority Khongoni, Lilongwe. Through the FCAP Titukulane Project, the village received a micro-grant of MK 17,000,000 SOFF, in partnership with Spark MicroGrants to implement a goat rearing project, owned and managed collectively by the village.

Meet our flagship villages and women’s groups who partnered with us to pilot the delivery of community-driven development in Lilongwe District, Malawi. Through this initiative, the groups received microgrants ranging from $5,000 to $12,000, enabling them to launch locally led enterprises such as livestock rearing and cooking oil processing.

Mdzibwa Village, home to 120 households, began its journey through the FCAP in August 2024. Historically reliant on subsistence farming, primarily cultivating maize, the community has faced significant challenges with food insecurity caused by unpredictable agricultural yields, often exacerbated by erratic weather patterns. With few opportunities for economic diversification beyond farming, income generation was often limited to selling small surpluses during favorable harvest seasons. This dependence on seasonal income left many families vulnerable to financial shocks, making it difficult to consistently meet daily needs and improving overall food security an ongoing struggle.