Running with Your Vision

Grow maize for food.  Mold bricks and sell off.  Buy a cow.  This was Stella Mmanga’s vision which remained unrealised for a long while.

Stella, a single mother of 5, says her biggest takeaway from World Vision’s presence in her life will be the well of knowledge that she has been given. She speaks of how the Empowered World View training changed her entire perspective on life and gave her the ability to effect change in her own life.

“I attended a World Vision training back in 2020, at the peak of Covid19. They taught us about how we can have a vision for our lives, and how my mindset can open up doors for opportunities. It was quite an interesting lesson because by this time, I was already growing maize and other crops. I was already doing small scale business with minimal results. But this training, transformed the trajectory of my life,” says Stella.

Stella talks of how the savings group she was part of, formed in 2019, became vibrant and a source for funds to finance her business and dreams.

“Before attending the training with World Vision, I was already a part of a savings group with 15 other women. Of course it was not yielding me results per se, so when we all attended the training, we were enlightened on how we can grow our money, and use it to bring our visions to life,” she says.

Soon after, Stella took a MK60, 000 loan from the group to mold bricks. She then sold off the bricks for MK220, 000 and proceeded to buy herself a cow in 2021.

Stella says she also uses the cow dung for manure and puts it in her maize field, which has also increased her maize yield. 

“I also cook food stuffs which I sell off right outside my home. And sometimes I use the loans to aid in paying for school fees for my children when I’m pressed,” narrates Stella.

To date, Stella has built her second house, and she sold 5 of her goats to roof the new house. She also has 7 pigs in her khola. She is able to pay for her children’s school fees and provide for their basic needs.

“This is my vision for the next 6 years: Multiply my cow to have more cattle, and sell off milk. Buy a car for taxi business. Build another house and Support my children with school in their tertiary education.”

With Stella’s sheer will and determination, she is bound to achieve this and more.

Stella, from is one of the 250 people that have participated in  Empowered World View and Savings for Transformation trainings over the last year and a half.