Penduka Trust celebrates 30 years of women empowerment
The Penduka Trust which focuses on empowering women through business and artisanal entrepreneurship, this week celebrated 30 years since it began catering to women’s needs shortly after Independence.
It remains one of the first organisations in the country that focused exclusively on empowering women suffering from the effects of unemployment and poverty through the development of creative potential among women.
The Deputy Minister of Industrialisation and Trade, Verna Sinimbo at an event highlighted that the core of Penduka’s drive was to eradicate poverty and social challenges among vulnerable women.
To date, both private and public organistions support the Penduka Trust by hosting workshops, conferences, and team-building exercises, to name a few.
Some of its projects include an “adult diaper project,” and the trust already has the infrastructure and machinery to undertake such projects.
Sinimbo stressed that sustainable economies develop from businesses that operate fairly and ethically and strive to maximize social impact alongside economic returns for beneficiaries.
“As a result, women who have acquired the necessary entrepreneurial skills are encouraged and continuously supported to start up their own enterprise,” she added.
The Penduka Trust has assisted its surrounding communities with skills training in the handcraft industry as well as providing entrepreneurial skills.
Its partners include the Penduka Foundation in the Netherlands, which is the sole distributor of Penduka products in Europe, and provider of financial contributions, strategic direction, and advice.
Penduka was founded in 1992 by Dutch anthropologist Christien Roos and her first board member, Martha Muulyau. The two women shared a history dating back to Ehafo, a former organization that assisted people with disabilities to acquire critical skills to assimilate as best as possible into society. Both of them understood the power of empowering people, especially women through business and artisanal entrepreneurship.
