Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Worldwide
Mavis Soko, Zambia
by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi
In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Monday, May, 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Mavis Soko a beneficiary of the Micro Finance group in Kafue , Zambia stops to play with the family dog Jocky near her home in this Saturday, September, 3, 2016, photo.Soko who is a treasurer of her group named Mapalo is on her third cycle of the micro finance loan scheme which has seen her investing the money in a restaurant at Zambia compound market where she offers various meals for sale to people who frequent the busy market in the Kafue District.Soko has 3 dependents which she has managed to take care of thanks to the loan(Copyright/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/FOTO DOCUMENT)
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Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi is a documentary photographer and photography trainer. His work has been published in several international publications including Newsweek, Time Magazine, The New York Times and has been exhibited in Mali, The Netherlands, Germany and several countries in Europe Asia and Africa.
Tsvangirayi won the CNN African Photographer of the Year Award twice in 2002 and 2007 and was part of the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass in 2002. He also scooped the 2006 Gender and Media Photojournalist of the Year for Southern Africa and in his home country he won the Zimbabwean Union of Journalists (ZUJ) Photographer of the Year in 2014.
Tsvangirayi holds a Diploma in Mass Communication and Journalism (CCOSA) and a Diploma in Photography from the African United Colleges (SA). He is involved in photography training through the Market Photoworkshop in Johannesburg, South Africa and is also co-founder of Gwanza, an Arts and Photography body that holds annual exhibitions in Zimbabwe and offers training to local and regional photographers as well as various NGOs.
He currently lives in Zimbabwe and travels extensively in Africa freelancing for the Associated Press and several other International publications and organisations.
A few words from the photographer
“My experience doing this commission was rewarding especially the feedback I got from my mentor who kept pushing me to explore my subject in a more creative and intimate manner. My approach changed as I got a much clearer picture of my subject and what I needed to focus on. I decided on which woman to portray based on various different elements which included accessibility, potential for strong visuals and most importantly the connection I established with my subject. I found Mavis warm and easy to talk to, her working environment was a plus and provided me with all sorts of possibilities to explore a diverse array of visuals. During the commission, the feedback sessions over skype with FotoDocument and my mentor certainly helped to shape my story and gave me a different insight into how to approach the story. I have learnt a lot while on this assignment.”
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi