From November 2021 through December 2023, the pilot cohort of Community Women completed hundreds of hours of instruction, including sessions on sexual and reproductive health rights and healthy relationships. In late 2023 and early 2024, the South Luangwa pilot cohort submitted business proposals and, by the end of Q1 2024, received business grants. Ongoing post-investment monitoring showed substantial gains in household income across graduating cohorts in both South Luangwa and the Lower Zambezi, Zambia: average monthly earnings rose by 272%. Participants attributed this growth to the three years of comprehensive financial literacy and business management training. Beyond income, women reported meaningful shifts in their lives: increased standing in their communities, healthier relationship dynamics, more intentional decisions about their children’s education, and actively inspiring other local women who had dropped out of school to not give up on their income generation and academic dreams. The analysis found that every $1 invested in the Community Women programme generates $10.77 in social value. Although there were only seven primary participants in the South Luangwa, the results suggest strong household level multiplier effects. In practice, the benefits for each woman extend to her children and other dependents, and to partners and close kin through steadier income and her ability to provide a better-resourced, more supportive home environment. These results reinforce our core hypothesis: targeted investment in women and girls catalyses community-level benefits by growing social and human capital.