TSHIOMBO - A disabled woman is the toast of her village, after she established an empowerment project which provides jobs for two men who had been unemployed for many years.

Ms Azwinaki Manyaga (42) of Tshiombo, north of Thohoyandou, has put her disability aside to establish the Phindulo Poultry Project. She teamed up with Edson Netshishivhe (42) and Elvis Mudau (32) in February. Both of them can now support their families from the sales of the chickens.

“Although I dropped out of school in Grade 5 (Std 3), I wanted to prove that I can contribute to the economic and social development of my community,” says Azwinaki, who cannot walk properly as a result of her deformed legs. “I could see that the majority of educated people were still unemployed and I thought it would be better to create a job for myself.”

Although she receives the government’s monthly disability grant, Azwinaki said she wanted to supplement her income as she needs to raise her five kids effectively. “I used part of my disability grant in the establishment of the project because I knew my community would benefit from the initiative.”

Azwinaki and her partners have two chicken sheds and they have sold more than 300 chickens to the public this month. They still have around 400, which are ready to be sold. “We are satisfied with the support from the local communities and we believe we will create more than 15 job opportunities in three years’ time,” said Azwinaki. They plan to establish a piggery in the near future on the same three-acre piece of land.

Edson Netshishivhe, who also gets the government’s monthly disability grant as a result of ill health, expressed his gratitude to Azwinaki for initiating the project. “The money from the government was not enough for me to support my wife and five kids,” he said. “I call on other unemployed members of the community to do something, rather than wait for the government to provide them with jobs.”