Mtende Vocational and Entrepreneurship Program is a community driven innovation initiated and facilitated by Mtende Homecraft Foundation trying to empower women and youth to acquire vocational and entrepreneurial skills and knowledge inorder to attain economic empowerment and reduce poverty and unemployment rate in Livingstonia-Phoka and Lakeshore areas in Traditional Authorities of Kachulu and Mwalweni in Rumphi district Northern Region of Malawi.

 

 In Malawi women constitute almost half of the majority of the total population. According to the 2011 Population and Housing Census (PHC), approximately 52% of the total populations of 16 million are women and most of them are directly affected by problems stemming from poverty. This is manifested through high incidences of gender based violence, high illiteracy rates, poor health, high incidence of abuse and unemployment rate that Malawi is experiencing.

 

In Rumphi and Karonga districts (Livingstonia-Phoka and Lakeshore areas) where Mtende Homecraft Foundation operates, the catchment area has over 150 000 people with an average population density of around 200 people per sq.km and women head 25% of the households, which are disproportionately poor. The problem of poverty combined with HIV/AIDS has contributed to the suffering of women and elderly people. A number of women in most communities in the area are sexually abused, neglect and exploited resulting into gender based violence and high un-employment rate among them.  ..