Community Projects
Wasara-Wasara Savings Club
Scores of villagers in Seke Rural outside Harare are organising themselves into money saving clubs under the leadership of Self Help Development Foundation, SHDF. Club members, mainly women, pledge an agreed fee, e.g. $2 a week into a fund. The process is repeated every week and members are awarded the money on a rotational basis, hence the name ‘round’. Members are given credit from the fund and pay back at an interest.
In Seke, club members mainly use the money to purchase farm inputs and sending their children to school. Members of Wasara-Wasara, savings club in Zhangira Village are realising financial independence from the club. Women interviewed reported a decrease in domestic violence cases with financial freedom.
Lucia Nhapi, 42, a member of the group since 2015 said, “I am a farmer and I benefit greatly from the money that I get, I use it to buy seed and farm implements. Financial freedom also leads to less domestic violence in the home.”
Muchaneta Mushonga
Muchaneta Mushonga 48, residing in Zhangira village, Seke communal lands is an empowered married woman who benefitted from Self Help Development Foundation, SHDF savings club and study cycles.
She is an accomplished farmer who realises huge yields. The mother of five acquired good farming practices from SHDF study circles. She discusses and shares knowledge with ten members from her community that make up the study circle. They discuss best farming methods, livelihoods and basic entrepreneurial skills. SHDF provides reading material for the study circle.
Mushonga runs a poultry project; keeps cattle and goats and produces grains. She is adept at marketing her produce, thanks to SHDF.
Chikomborero Gutsa
Chikomborero Gutsa,47 a mother of three devised a way to become economically empowered. She joined SHDF where she was introduced to savings clubs and study circles.
“At SHDF I learnt about saving money and the art of entrepreneurship. I decided to make instant porridge powder using, maize, soya beans, nuts, sorghum and rice. This porridge is on high demand inside and outside the country but I am facing a challenge. The powder needs to be certified by the Ministry of Health through some tests to ascertain its chemical composition. The process requires $250, at the moment I don’t have it but if I get the money it will open doors for me.”
Gladmore Chikoto
Gladmore Chikoto, 35 of Chanakira Village, Seke, says he has never been formally employed in his life. The father of six, survives from gardening and selling produce at Makoni Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza.
“I started selling vegetables at Makoni shopping centre in 2004. The market was generating profit but I decided to produce my own vegetables for sale, to lessen cost. My business grew and I decided to focus on gardening, I then employed a stall keeper in 2012. I have been getting profit since then with the assistance I get from SHDF savings clubs.”
I was very happy to be one of the women who are economically empowered, I wasn’t interested in moving to Harare after buying that house, I decided to rent it out to tenants who send rentals to me every month end.