By MUSONDA MANGILASHI –
THE Presidential Empowerment Initiative Fund (PEIF) has disbursed K15,000 to the African Methodist Church in Kitwe to help women boost their various  businesses.
Earlier, PEIF disbursed K10,000 to Saint Anthony Catholic Church.
PEIF patron Chanda Kabwe presented the money during a church service on Sunday to Bright Chapel Buchi with the assurance that President Edgar Lungu was determined to see the improvement of the lives of the poor people, especially women in the country.
During the same service, Mr Kabwe handed over funds to purchase 100 bags of cement, sand and blocks to Copperbelt Conference women towards the construction works and an additional K10,000 as business starter capital.
Mr Kabwe said that PEIF decided to extend the distribution of cash to churches after realising that there were equally many women in congregations that needed to be empowered.
“The Patriotic Front (PF) Government is determined to help women and under its Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) has pillars which will help the country develop, and the Fund has decided to empower churches because the church has families that build the church and in turn the church builds the nation, so we saw it fit that we fund the church,” Mr Kabwe said.
He said the fact that the church did not discriminate, hence the move to help it through the funds that will help improve the livelihood of women in the country.
Apart from cash, PEIF also purchased 480 books for the primary school, and 120 secondary study books to the school at the same church to help the pupils.
Mr Kabwe said the President wanted to see human development, hence the move to donate the books to the children.
Presiding Elder of Copperbelt West Alick Mulapwa commended the PEIF for the money, saying that the funds would go a long way in helping women to start businesses.
Reverend Mulapwa assured Mr Kabwe that the congregation would put the funds to good use.