Annie Kanjinga's Journey from Survival to Stability

Annie in her rice field - Turning knowledge into harvest, even in a tough season.

Annie Kanjinga, a 73-year-old from Village Head Duwa in Zomba District, lives with five of her children—one with a disability—and cares for her grandchildren. For years, her life revolved around one question: “What will we eat today?” With no steady income, every day was a struggle.

Things began to change when she received MK180,000 through the Social Cash Transfer Program. But it was the training from her VSL group, Kachere—facilitated by Community-Based Trainer Justine Somanje under the Social Protection for Gender Empowerment and Resilience (SP-GEAR) project that CRECCOM is implementing with funding from EU, Government of Ireland and UNICEF—that truly transformed her mindset.

Annie with her goat - A wise investment from her cash transfer, now a growing asset.

Through this training, Annie and her fellow members were introduced to the principles of VSL and encouraged to start thinking beyond daily needs. They were guided to explore small-scale business ideas and invest their money in ways that would bring long-term benefits.

For Annie, the training was life-changing. It opened her eyes to possibilities she had never considered. “Without the training, I would have spent the money bit by bit, always thinking of today,” she says. “But I learned to plan for tomorrow.”

Annie tending her backyard - A daily source of relish that eases her family's food burden.

Annie invested MK68,000 in a goat and used the rest to buy fertilizer for her maize and rice fields. Despite poor rains, she has harvested five bags of maize and expects up to five bags of rice.

She also started a backyard garden, which now provides daily relish for her family and reduces food costs.