First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa is pictured at the launch of the HIV/AIDS prevention campaign, “Real Man, Real Woman”. Photo by Zambia In-Country Team 
FIRST Lady Maureen Mwanawasa says vulnerable women can only be empowered if they are trained in skills that can economically support them.

Mrs. Mwanawasa said this at State House yesterday when clubs under the Maureen Mwanawasa Community Initiative (MMCI) received flour, 100 day-old chicks, and broiler feed worth K13 million from National Milling Corporation (NMC) and Hybrid Poultry.

The first lady also presented certificates to 20 women who underwent training in chicken rearing and baking at Hybrid Poultry and NMC, respectively.

She said MMCI had drawn a number of programmers to assist vulnerable groups and empowered them with knowledge and skills in both rural and urban areas. “The key word is sustainability; because we want to see the people on this programme create a bright future for their children. We need more programmers beyond National Milling Corporation and Hybrid Poultry,” she said.

Mrs. Mwanawasa urged the women to establish cooperatives so that they could benefit more from Government programmers. And NMC managing director, Peter Cottan, and his Hybrid Poultry counterpart, Richard Keeley, made the donations on behalf of their respective companies.

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