Women are the gateway to household security, as they generally invest more in the welfare of the family than do
men. This includes expenses for education, health care, clothing, shelter and household items. Women are also more
conscientious savers to protect themselves and their family against times of crisis. Women are thus an appropriate
target group for mitigating poverty and maximizing the social impact of development strategies. For these reasons,
MASYAP aims at improving the lives of vulnerable women in the rural areas by empowering them financially through the Microfinance Programme.
Therefore MASYAP have launched four new women support groups in Zomba district. The new members have been introduced to all programmes that MASYAP runs; such as: HIV Testing Services (HTS), Youth Mentoring and Microfinance for women and girls affected by HIV/AIDS.
