Dzithandizeni Trades School story

On a national scale of women achievers, the bankers probably have their own Margaret Mwanakatwe, a  chief executive of Barclays bank to gloat about while the agriculture sector has women like Frida Luhila the newly appointed boss of the national Food Reserve Agency.

On the grass roots level, a number of figures just like Mwanakatwe and Luhila do exist doing all sorts of jobs once thought to be only the domain of men.

The one that immediately comes to mind is a woman called Ruth Nambela who has recently succesully completed an internship at Dzithandizen Trade School in Lusaka.

According to her instructors, Nambela who entered the school this year came on top of two other female interns who worked side by side and experiencing the same competition with a group of some 25 male carpenters making her a stand-out and an inspiration to women who have flirtingly entertained the idea of entering whats called a ’mans world’.

“One hand she‘s one of the three female participants who were placed in their pilot project aimed at proving that ’women can do it’ just like men and sometimes even better...

Dzithandizeni, one of MSZambia‘s shining examples of a partner that has managed to stand on its own, make profits and help  disadvantaged youths with life sustaining skills.

Nambela on one hand is one of the three female participants who were placed in their pilot project aimed at proving that ’women can do it’ just like men and sometimes even better.

Project Director W. Mooba is filled with joy with the initial results and he believes the success scored so far will go a long way not only in enhancing the schools image but in equiping more and more young Zambian females with rare skills.

”We are determined to realise the dreams of the many females who are willing to demonstrate their talents in male dominated skills such as carpentry and joinery,” Mooba says.

He closes with the common refrain that,    “when you educate a girl child, you have educated a nation,” and hopes that other non governmental organisations can specifically draw up programmes to help women stand on their own.