In 2021, Mary Katsache found herself in a heart-breaking situation that so many women face: she was forced to leave her home due to the violence that had shattered her family. Her marriage, once filled with hope, had turned into a cycle of abuse that left Mary physically and emotionally scarred. Despite the pain, Mary found the strength to leave, taking with her five children who had been neglected and unsupported by their father.
With no support from her estranged husband and little more was her determination to survive, Mary sought refuge in a makeshift shelter. Life was tough, but she was resolute in her role as the protector of her children. Despite the challenges, Mary managed to care for her children, even though there were many days when she struggled to provide for them. But she refused to give up.
In the years that followed, Mary’s resilience began to shine through. She took a step that would change her life, starting a small salon business. She used her skills, learned through experience, to open a modest salon, and from there, things started to turn around. She used the earnings to build a small house with a thatched roof, a place where she could raise her children in peace.
But it wasn’t just hard work that made Mary's transformation possible; it was also the support she received through the UN Women’s Spotlight Initiative, which was designed to help women like her overcome the hardships of domestic violence and rebuild their lives.
Through the Spotlight Initiative, Mary learned about saving schemes and micro-business practices, gaining the knowledge and confidence to grow her salon into a more sustainable business. She also joined a local village bank, a community savings group, where she could both save and take small loans to expand her business and meet the needs of her family.
The Spotlight Initiative had a profound impact on Mary’s life and many other women in her community. As part of a larger project aiming to create safer environments for women, it helped Mary and 19 other women in Ntchisi District access financial resources and learn essential skills for running small businesses. These women, once vulnerable and without power, are now creating opportunities for themselves and their children, leaving behind the trauma of their pasts.
Mary’s inspiring story caught the attention of Letty Chiwara, the UN Women Country Representative for Malawi, who was so impressed with her success that she sought to visit Mary in person. Mary’s story is one of the many successes stemming from the Spotlight Initiative, a program designed to address the challenges women face in abusive relationships and empower them to become leaders of their own economic and personal futures.
The initiative, funded by UN Women and supported by the European Union and the United Nations, is helping women like Mary rise above their circumstances and build a future based on self-reliance and dignity.
