Kigoma, Tanzania | July 2026
At CIVISCE, we believe that providing business equipment creates an opportunity, but equipping women with knowledge, confidence and practical skills creates lasting transformation.
This belief lies at the heart of a unique partnership between CLEAR VISION FOR CHANGE (CIVISCE), Women in Africa Venturing Education (WAVE).
For five inspiring days, 20 women entrepreneurs from Kigoma came together not simply to attend another training workshop, but to rethink the way they approach business, money, leadership and opportunity.
Representing sectors including fish vending, bedsheet production, liquid soap manufacturing, and poultry farming, the women arrived with years of practical experience. They left with something equally valuable—new knowledge, renewed confidence, and a stronger vision for building sustainable businesses.
The workshop demonstrated a simple yet powerful truth:
Sustainable livelihoods are built not only with productive assets, but with knowledge, discipline, confidence and opportunity.
Across Tanzania, women play a central role in local economies. They feed families, create employment and contribute significantly to community development through thousands of small businesses.
In Kigoma Region, many women depend on small-scale trade, fisheries, agriculture and home-based enterprises to support their households. Despite their determination and entrepreneurial spirit, many continue to face limited access to business development services, financial education and productive resources. Strengthening women’s enterprises therefore contributes not only to household incomes but also to stronger local economies and more resilient communities.
Recognising these realities, CIVISCE and WAVE chose a different approach.
Instead of beginning with equipment distribution, the partnership invested first in people.
Throughout five days of interactive learning facilitated by CIVISCE staff together with volunteer professionals and students from Switzerland and Germany, participants explored practical topics including:
The workshop was facilitated by CIVISCE Staff and WAVE Team (Cinzia, Viola, Nicolas and Henry), whose commitment, humility and willingness to share their expertise created an inspiring learning environment built on mutual respect and collaboration.
Rather than relying on lectures alone, the sessions combined presentations, group discussions, practical exercises, peer learning and real-life business examples. Participants analysed their own businesses, discussed everyday challenges and developed practical solutions that they could immediately apply within their enterprises.
The workshop became a space where learning was shared across cultures, experiences and generations—demonstrating that meaningful development happens through partnership, respect and a shared commitment to empowering communities.
For Aisha Kassim Selemani, who has sold bedsheets for many years at Rajani Market in Buzebazeba, one lesson completely changed the way she thinks about entrepreneurship.
“I learned how to save money, how to pay myself a salary, and that household expenses and business expenses are completely different. I also learned to organise my money for different purposes—household needs, business profit and savings. These are things I never knew before.”
Like many small business owners, Aisha had always managed her income as one pool of money.
The workshop introduced a different perspective—that successful entrepreneurs deliberately separate business finances from personal expenses, allowing their businesses to grow while also securing their families’ future.
It was not merely a financial lesson.
It was a shift in mindset.
For Violet Leonard, a vegetable and fish vendor from Kibirizi, the greatest discovery came from understanding how small daily decisions influence business performance.
At the end of each day, any vegetables that remained unsold automatically became food for her family.
She had never considered that this habit reduced her working capital.
“I realised that unsold vegetables are still part of my business capital. Instead of treating them as free household food, I should reduce my purchases the next day and sell the remaining stock first. I never knew I was creating losses for my own business.”
The lesson appears simple.
Yet for entrepreneurs operating with limited capital, reducing hidden losses can significantly improve profitability over time.
Violet also reflected on the importance of sharing knowledge with others.
“When you receive knowledge like this, do not keep it to yourself. Share it with others. I thank all the volunteer trainers who dedicated their time to teach us. May God continue blessing them.”
Her words capture one of CIVISCE’s core values—that empowerment becomes even stronger when knowledge is shared within communities.
For Elizabeth Kurwa, an accounting student at the Tanzania Institute of Accountancy (TIA), Kigoma Campus, who also operates a small liquid soap business, entrepreneurship took on an entirely new meaning.
She had always viewed herself and her business as one.
The workshop challenged that assumption.
“I learned that I am an employee of my own business. My business and I are two different things, and I should pay myself a salary.”
Another lesson focused on honesty in business.
“Sometimes entrepreneurs tell customers that a product is good even when it isn’t. This workshop reminded me that honesty builds trust.”
Perhaps her greatest revelation concerned the hidden cost of using her own products without recording them.
“Whenever I used my soap at home without recording it, I was reducing both my capital and my profit without realising it.”
For Elizabeth, entrepreneurship is no longer simply about producing soap.
It is about building a business that is disciplined, transparent and sustainable.
The workshop reflects the strength of partnerships built on shared values.
CIVISCE contributed its deep understanding of local communities, women’s economic empowerment and sustainable development.
WAVE brought its commitment to supporting African women entrepreneurs through education and opportunity.
Volunteer professionals and students from Switzerland and Germany generously shared their knowledge, experiences and practical skills while learning from the women entrepreneurs themselves.
As one of the international volunteers reflected:
“Our goal was not simply to teach business skills but also to learn from the participants. Their determination, creativity and resilience reminded us that entrepreneurship grows through partnership, trust and continuous learning.”
This was not a one-way transfer of knowledge.
It was a genuine exchange built on mutual respect, curiosity and collaboration.
Together, local leadership and international solidarity created a learning environment where ideas could be tested, experiences shared and confidence strengthened.
The conclusion of the workshop does not mark the end of the journey.
It marks the beginning.
In the next phase of the programme, participants will receive productive business assets—including fish storage cool boxes, sewing machines and electric liquid soap mixing machines—to help them translate newly acquired knowledge into practical action.
For CIVISCE, providing equipment is not simply about distributing tools.
It is about investing in women who have demonstrated commitment, willingness to learn and determination to improve their livelihoods.
By combining business education with productive assets, continued mentoring, coaching and follow-up support, the programme seeks to create enterprises that continue generating income long after the workshop has ended.
Because sustainable livelihoods are not built through one intervention alone, CIVISCE will continue walking alongside participants as they apply their new knowledge, strengthen their businesses and overcome future challenges.
Economic empowerment is rarely achieved through a single intervention.
It grows through knowledge, opportunity, perseverance and partnership.
As these 28 women return to their businesses, they carry with them more than training materials.
They carry renewed confidence.
They carry stronger financial discipline.
They carry practical skills that will shape better business decisions.
Most importantly, they carry the belief that sustainable change is possible.
Every thriving business begins with a single decision—to learn, to grow and to believe that change is possible.
For the 28 women who participated in this workshop, that decision has already been made.
The knowledge they have gained, the partnerships they have built and the productive assets they will soon receive are not simply project outputs. They are building blocks for stronger businesses, more resilient families and more prosperous communities.
At CIVISCE, we believe that lasting development begins by investing in people. When women are equipped with knowledge, trusted with opportunity and supported through meaningful partnerships, they become catalysts for change whose impact extends far beyond their own enterprises.
This is more than a workshop. It is the beginning of a journey towards sustainable livelihoods, dignified work and stronger communities in Kigoma.
And this is only the beginning.
| Programme | Women’s Entrepreneurship and Business Development Workshop |
|---|---|
| Dates | 20–24 July 2026 |
| Location | Ndela Youth Centre, Kigoma, Tanzania |
| Participants | 28 women entrepreneurs |
| Lead Organization | CLEAR VISION FOR CHANGE (CIVISCE) |
| Partner Organization | Women in Africa Venturing Education (WAVE) |
| Facilitators | CIVISCE staff and international volunteers from Switzerland and Germany |
| Business Sectors Represented | Fish vending, poultry farming, liquid soap production and bedsheet making |
| Key Learning Areas | Entrepreneurship, business planning, financial literacy, savings, customer care, business ethics, pricing, record keeping, stock management, leadership and business sustainability |
| Next Phase | Distribution of productive business equipment, mentoring, coaching and follow-up support |
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