Marriage life was once difficult for Edson Simkonda and his wife, Christina Kayira, from Navitengo under Traditional Authority Kameme in Chitipa District. The couple faced challenges in communication, family budgeting and resolving disagreements. At times, conflicts in the home became serious, with Christina leaving the house and returning to her family.
Edson used to make family budgets on his own without involving his wife. When disagreements arose, they struggled to resolve them peacefully. The couple also experienced challenges in their sexual relationship, which sometimes created mistrust and further disagreements in the home.
Today, however, the Simkonda family is experiencing a different kind of life. The couple says their home has become more peaceful because they have learned to communicate openly, forgive each other and make important family decisions together.
The change came after Edson and Christina joined SMART Couple lessons under the Gender and Child Protection Project, implemented by Lusubilo Community Care with financial support from Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Through the lessons, they learned about communication, forgiveness, respect, joint decision-making and peaceful ways of resolving disagreements.
One of the biggest changes has been the way they manage their family finances. Edson no longer prepares the family budget alone. The couple now sits down together to discuss their needs, decide what they want to achieve and agree on how to use their money.
“Before, I used to make the budget alone without involving my wife. Now we sit down together and discuss what we want to do as a family. We plan together and agree on how to use our money,” says Edson.
The couple has also learned to handle disagreements through discussion rather than violence or separation. When one of them makes a mistake, they sit down, talk about it, forgive each other and move forward.
For Christina, the changes have brought peace and stability to the family. She says the couple now understands each other better and works together to address issues affecting their home.
“Our family is different now. We communicate better, forgive each other and support one another. We are able to sit down and discuss issues affecting our family. This has brought peace into our home,” she says.
The transformation in their relationship has also encouraged the couple to work together to improve their livelihood. The family is engaged in farming and grows different crops for food and income.
They have cultivated sweet potatoes and vegetables and have planted nearly one acre of sugarcane, which they plan to sell. The farming activities are helping the family improve their food supply while also creating an opportunity to earn income for other household needs.
The couple says that learning to work together has made it easier for them to plan for their future. They now share responsibilities, make decisions together and support each other in working towards their family goals.
Today, the Simkonda family is looking towards the future with renewed hope. The challenges that once caused conflict in their home have been replaced with communication, forgiveness, teamwork and shared responsibility.