Women’s economic empowerment remains a powerful tool for achieving sustainable community development. With this vision in mind, HarvestGlow, a Malawian social enterprise, organized a soy milk making training at Masonga Community in Area 25, Lilongwe. More than 30 women and young men gathered to learn practical skills that can help them generate income, improve household nutrition, and promote self-reliance.

HarvestGlow focuses on transforming rural economies by addressing malnutrition, youth unemployment, and limited access to improved seeds through innovative and affordable solutions. HarvestGlow Community Facilitator Sarah Chirwa explained that the aim of the training is to help families reduce the cost of buying milk while improving their nutrition. "We train these women and men on how to make soy milk using locally available materials.

The goal is to help families become self-reliant and reduce the cost of buying milk from shops,” she said. She emphasized that soybeans were chosen because they are affordable and easily accessible compared to dairy products. “This training is part of our mission to build stronger and more independent communities across Malawi.

At HarvestGlow, we believe that giving people skills and knowledge is the best way to create lasting change,” she added. In addition to soy milk production, participants were trained in financial management and record-keeping to equip them with basic business skills. According to Chirwa, the project seeks to economically empower unmarried young women who often depend on their parents or guardians for financial support.

She expressed optimism that poverty among Malawian women can be significantly reduced through such initiatives. “After this training, we expect to see positive strides. We have already witnessed many women becoming financially and economically independent. This is why we plan to reach out to more women, not only in this area but also in hard-to-reach communities,” she said.

Area Development Committee (ADC) Chairperson Amos Phiri encouraged participants to take the training seriously and called on the organization to help find markets for the soy milk products. "This is a good opportunity for women and men to empower themselves. However, I urge the organization to help find markets for the products so that after the training, participants can have a reliable place to sell their soy milk,” said Phiri.

For many participants, the training marks the beginning of a new chapter. Selina Tembo, 62, from Masonga Village under Traditional Authority Chitukula, shared how she used to struggle to buy dairy milk for herself and her grandchildren. “If there’s one person who had forgotten what milk tastes like, it’s me. I could not afford it.

But after this training, I will be able to make soy milk for myself and my grandchildren,” she said with a smile. Another participant, Ida Muonjeza, 48, from Dzenza, expressed her joy at discovering new ways to use soybeans “The training has opened our eyes. Before, we only used soy to make porridge. But now, we’ve learned how to produce soy milk.

This will also help us form a cooperative and produce at a larger scale,” she said. Muonjeza appealed to HarvestGlow to extend the program to other districts so that more women can benefit from this life-changing initiative.