Historically, women have been disadvantaged in many ways, such as when some parents would not allow them, as girls, to go to school.
Their value was seen in terms of the dowry their parents received from the men who married them, most times before they were even ready for that.
It is still hard for some people in many areas in our country to adjust to the fact that times have changed, and women should receive the same opportunities as the male members of their families.
The social landscape of Zambia has changed as much as the religious front, where women are increasingly being given space to preach the word of God, unlike in the past when it was a domain exclusively for men.
And a fact that many cannot underplay is that women have been important managers of homes, no matter how depressing their financial positions could be.
It is in this vein that the Government is taking steps to ensure that the womenfolk become financially independent.
The culture that allowed them to be totally dependent on their husbands, or men in their families, is being discouraged because it partly accounted for the physical, psychological, and sexual abuse they suffered most of the time.
We would like to encourage the women to take bold steps and embrace the financial empowerment programmes being introduced by the Government and civil society organisations.
Yesterday, Community Development and Social Services Minister Michael Kaingu challenged Zambian women to access the K5 billion economic empowerment fund being administered by his ministry.
The minister called on the womenfolk to take advantage of the fund to boost their economic status.
That way, they will be contributing to poverty reduction in a more appreciable way.
What must particularly inspire the women is that the Government decided to ease the conditions for them to access the fund, and involved district commissioners so that the administration of the fund is effective.
We are confident that with more sensitisation programmes, more women will warm up to the empowerment schemes so that they lead meaningful lives.
At times the fear of borrowing for a planned project is exaggerated if the correct message has not been sent out.
We, therefore, commend Mr Kaingu for the tour he has embarked on in Central Province to inspect Government projects as well as spread the good message on empowering the womenfolk.