Redesigning Empowerment - Infrastructure for Women Financial Empowerment and Social Change Part 2 Project 2025 Wong Ching Tung Chinese University of Hong Kong | China Project DescriptionAcross rural Africa,Mama Mboga—the women vegetable vendors who sustain local food systems—face systemic barriers despite their vital role. Many, even those with education, remain trapped in poverty, forced to rely on loans from wealthier neighbors like boda boda cyclists. This dependency often leads to exploitative relationships, unintended pregnancies, and abandoned education as young mothers leave school to support children.Recognizing these challenges, this initiative harnesses design to create opportunities. The first intervention reimagined basic infrastructure—transforming lampposts into lantern-like pavilions where women access business support, sanitation, and emergency assistance. Now expanded to Mombasa’s wholesale markets, the project establishes women-centered fashion production spaces. These “parasitic” structures integrate with existing vault infrastructure, creating safe factories where Mama Mboga can import materials, manufacture goods, and manage exports.The design prioritizes female autonomy through practical solutions: ramps and stairs ensure safe movement; workspaces accommodate childcare needs; and the entire system reduces reliance on male financiers. By adding manufacturing hubs into market stalls, the project doesn’t just provide income—it rebuilds social dynamics. When Mama Mboga control production chains from raw materials to final products, they gain not just money, but dignity and true independence. Tutor(s) Peter Ferretto