Covid-19’s effects are being felt world over. It has affected trade and big companies and one can wonder, how much effect it had on a household with 4 unemployed adults residing in Mbare, Harare.
Petronella Pakamisa (55), is happy that even though COVID-19 hit hard, she has managed to continue her small business of cooking and selling fries and chicken, which she sells to a number of low-income earners coming to work in Mbare.
Petronella like many of them, at an advanced age, still has to work and cater for her family.
She is a beneficiary of the MBARE Social Projects, a program based at St Peter’s Jesuit parish, and designed to help the poor with income generating projects.
The project is funded by the Jesuit Missions office in Germany, and has over the years supported hundreds of people looking for a stepping stone to change their lives through income generating projects.
A few years ago, Petronella and other women, received some basic training in hotel and catering at the parish and now she has been assisted to buy an electric fryer for her business.
After basic business training beneficiaries, who also receive business management training, present a proposal and get a startup funding.
About 75% of the startups, mostly poultry, dress making, peanut butter among others, survive at least the first business cycle.
The Mbare Social Projects also assist people with chronic diseases with medication and health care, assisting the orphans and vulnerable children with access to education, mainly at St Peters’ primary and secondary schools.
The parish, St Peters will be celebrating 111 years this year and this is one of the projects that parishioners, the Jesuit Development Office and all benefactors will be grateful for.
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