African Women for African Women 2007
Women entrepreneurial programs in Africa - supported by World Bank www.worldbank.org

The movie about African women and their strategies to become equal to men was presented in relation to a two day conference in Berlin in February 2007. The movie>>>

Story line:

Narration: Margaret Wabire lives in two small rooms on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda. She is a widower with three children.

Soundbite: Margaret Wabire: “It’s not easy because the landlord has to get her rent every month. I have to pay school fees and the children have to eat every day… It’s a struggle, but I’m managing”

Narr: She has to care for herself and her children in a culture that favors men

Soundbite: Margaret Wabire: “You know, in Africa , it’s a mans world, it’s not ladies first, it’s gents first. The men are the ones who make the rules. If only they could make out a means of developing women because it’s the women who are today taking care of the children”

Narr: Margaret works at Nina Interiors fashioning custom made bed nets. Nina Interiors is owned by Alice Karugaba. Alice built the business up from scratch with the help of loans and training from a local bank – testimony that it can be done

Soundbite: Alice Karugaba: “I started baking buns and selling them to my colleagues. In those days, there was no bread, so my buns were popular. The Bank has supported me, they saw I was performing and they were encouraging me and even training me They taught me how to manage little monies and to bank and to have a statement. When you get a loan you can grow. In the last few years we have gone from a workforce of 13 to 60.”

Narr: Alice’s daughter Patricia is now taking a similar training course for women entrepreneurs, supported by the World Bank and run by DFCU Limited.

Soundbite: Moses Kibirige, Exec Director, DFCU Ltd: “ We believe that women are a very important part of our society and we believe that when we empower women, the family will get food on the table at the end of the day. So we feel that if we give them the skills they should be able to improve on their services and provide more to this economy.”

Narr: For Margaret, making ends meet is her immediate goal, but given a little help, she and many other women like her might have a chance to follow in Alice and Patricia’s footsteps.

Soundbite: Margaret Wabire: “The most important thing that can be done for women is helping them make a living so that they can do something to bring up their children. That is my only prayer”