By Winter Johnson

Lifelike stone sculptures featuring women and animals sat upon the long brown desk, with their creator, Georgina Chikulo, overlooking them with pride. For Georgina, who is a mum of five children, a member of HOPE worldwide Zimbabwe’s women’s economic empowerment programme, and a graduate of the early childhood development programme, stone carving has provided more than a means of income. It has helped her to discover herself.

It all started in 2014, when a HOPE worldwide Zimbabwe facilitator visited her home to tell her about the early childhood development programme at the local social centre. According to Georgina, the programme opened her eyes to new ways of parenting, different than the style she learned from her own parents.

“I used to spend most of my time at home, wake up in the morning, do the laundry, sweep the floor, prepare the meals for my children, send them to school, and call it a day,” said Georgina regarding her daily routine before joining the programme. After she joined the programme, “information was introduced to me that I didn’t know. HOPE worldwide taught me to identify talent in my children. I learned how to be a loving mom to my children, to put my children first.”

Once inside the HOPE worldwide Zimbabwe family, Georgina never looked back. She joined the women’s economic empowerment programme, eager to learn new skills that would help her boost her income. She learned how to make African jewellery and beadwork to sell at the local market. She learned how to bake cookies, developed a demand for them, and met with her teammates in the programme to sell Vaseline, dishwashing liquid, and pine gel, as well as learning lessons on business management, bookkeeping, and marketing.

One day, as she was working in local garden plot provided by the programme, she saw men engaging in stone carving nearby and was immediately intrigued. Driven by her passion to explore new skills, Georgina chose to undergo training in stone carving and quickly showed her artistic potential.

Mastering the art of stone carving

Fast forward to today, and she is known for her “fatty mama” sculptures and other artwork in Harare, selling her pieces at culture shows and exhibitions. Through the sale of her art and other business ventures, she can buy food and clothing for her children as well as participate in the women’s economic empowerment programme investment fund.

While stone carving is not officially part of HOPE worldwide Zimbabwe’s programmes, Georgina’s success has inspired several women to explore the craft, according to Tapiwa Chiwetu, programme manager for HOPE worldwide Zimbabwe. “With adequate funding, we aim to develop stone carving into a dedicated women’s economic empowerment project in the near future,” she added.

“I never knew that I was an artist. HOPE worldwide helped unleash the artist within me,” Georgina said. “They helped me become the woman that I am. I am a different woman who no longer stresses over the provisions of my family, healthcare, and my children’s education.”

Looking to the future

Now that she is an established artist in her community, Georgina dreams of purchasing a house so that each of her children can have their own room, as well as hosting a one-day exhibition called “The Future is Female” where she will showcase her work and belief that “if you give hope to a mother, you give hope to the whole nation, and if you empower a woman, you have empowered the nation.”

“I have been empowered, and so has my family,” Georgina said.