https://en.sputniknews.africa/20250822/solar-powered-transport-drives-economic-independence-for-rural-zimbabwean-women-1077204906.html
Solar-Powered Transport Drives 'Economic Independence' for Rural Zimbabwean Women
Solar-Powered Transport Drives 'Economic Independence' for Rural Zimbabwean Women
Sputnik Africa
Women in sub-Saharan Africa spend about 40 billion hours a year collecting water, a UN report says. This is a staggering burden, worsened by lack of transport... 22.08.2025, Sputnik Africa
2025-08-22T16:19+0200
2025-08-22T16:19+0200
2025-08-22T16:19+0200
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Solar-Powered Transport Drives 'Economic Independence' for Rural Zimbabwean Women
Sputnik Africa
Women in sub-Saharan Africa spend about 40 billion hours a year collecting water, a UN report says. This is a staggering burden, worsened by lack of transport. In rural Zimbabwe, electric tricycles are easing this burden and changing daily life for women.
Mobility for Africa, a local NGO in Zimbabwe, has launched a campaign introducing rechargeable electric tricycles called “Hamba” (meaning “go” in Ndebele) to rural communities. Offered through a lease-to-own scheme at just US$15 a month, the initiative helps women earn steady incomes of up to $300. This strengthens their role as household providers.The benefits are visible across villages. Tricycles carry produce to markets before it spoils, transport patients to clinics, and deliver school supplies and firewood at a fraction of the usual cost. Despite challenges like poor roads and entrenched social norms, the program is proving a practical model for expanding access and empowering women in rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa.To understand how mobility links to economic empowerment, African Currents interviewed Lisa Marie, Project Coordinator at Mobility for Africa, which is pioneering the lease-to-own tricycle model in Zimbabwe.Want to hear more from our guest? Catch the full conversation on the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.You’ll find our episodes not just on the website, but also on Telegram.► You can also stream our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict.► Check out all the episodes of African Currents.
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Solar-Powered Transport Drives 'Economic Independence' for Rural Zimbabwean Women
Women in sub-Saharan Africa spend about 40 billion hours a year collecting water, a UN report says. This is a staggering burden, worsened by lack of transport. In rural Zimbabwe, electric tricycles are easing this burden and changing daily life for women.
Mobility for Africa, a local NGO in Zimbabwe, has launched a campaign introducing rechargeable electric tricycles called “Hamba” (meaning “go” in Ndebele) to rural communities. Offered through a lease-to-own scheme at just US$15 a month, the initiative helps women earn steady incomes of up to $300. This strengthens their role as household providers.
The benefits are visible across villages. Tricycles carry produce to markets before it spoils, transport patients to clinics, and deliver school supplies and firewood at a fraction of the usual cost. Despite challenges like poor roads and entrenched social norms, the program is proving a practical model for expanding access and empowering women in rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa.
To understand how mobility links to economic empowerment, African Currents interviewed Lisa Marie, Project Coordinator at Mobility for Africa, which is pioneering the lease-to-own tricycle model in Zimbabwe.
“Greater mobility fundamentally transforms women’s socioeconomic status. By gaining access to reliable transport, women can expand their economic activities beyond substance farming to entrepreneurship and market trading, increasing household incomes and improving food security. Mobility enhances access to things like education, health care, and social services, which benefits entire families and communities. Over time, this shifts gender dynamics from by increasing women’s autonomy, visibility, and participation in decision-making processes, in economically empowering women to contribute to vibrant local economies,” Marie noted.
Want to hear more from our guest? Catch the full conversation on the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
You’ll find our episodes not just on the website, but also on
Telegram.► Check out all the episodes of African Currents. 
