Women are playing an active role in the development of their communities in Zambia thanks to an innovative Oxfam project that has brought local communities and government agencies together to provide water and sanitation services.

With Oxfam's support, 100 community members, the Provincial Planning Unit and local authority staff took part in a planning process to determine communities' priorities and allocate government funds. As a result, 20 women from rural areas were funded to complete an accredited construction skills course and supported to gain employment on government projects. With a loan from the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the women also opened shops stocking equipment for water points and sanitation facilities in their respective wards.

One of the women involved in the initiative is 41-year-old Maureen Likezo who lives in Tusheshe village in Imalyo ward. While she has no children of her own, she supports her siblings' children and her aged mother. She is grateful for the skills she learned on the training course, which are helping her to earn an income and support her family.

'I now like the skill I have in construction that I acquired from Mongu Trades Training Institute. I did not know that I will ever have such a skill in my life. After completing training at the trades school, I had an opportunity to assist in the completion of a local court building here in Imalyo ward. I was overjoyed because men, women and children would come to watch me build with the construction team, who were all men. My fellow community members now know that a female can actually do construction activities,' Maureen says.

Maureen makes an important point. Not only are women earning an income from their new skills, they have gained the respect of community members and demonstrated alternative role models in an area traditionally considered a man's domain. This has helped to address the barriers than women and marginalised people face in gaining skills, earning a living and participating in community life. Their success has also inspired the government, which has committed to awarding 30 per cent of its contracts to women.