adminApril is the month in which the country celebrates its independence from colonial rule. When you mark 43 years, it means that you have come of age and that most of your aspirations have been met. We believe with independence should come empowerment and that many citizens should take advantage of policies to empower themselves. In our last edition we carried a story of the 100 women from Lupane who are now earning a living through growing chilli. It would appear when the venture was launched demand for the product was quite low but has since been ramped up, meaning more work for the women and a corresponding increase in revenue as they bid to meet demand of the chilli.
The setting up of institutions such as universities in our communities should have an impact on the developmental process and help leapfrog our communities in terms of revenue generation so that they better take care of their families and develop their communities. We believe the use of local resources to uplift communities, if well executed, could get many communities out of poverty. The Lupane community chilli venture is an example of how communities can leverage on local resources to spur development.
That a lecturer at the local university is involved in this community initiative shows the importance of heritage based education and partnership between local communities and learning institutions, as such collaboration even through research has potential to drive local economies in the short term and in the longer term contribute significantly to the growth of the national economy. We hope more collaborations between institutions and surrounding communities in other parts of the country bear such fruit and demonstrate the value of education that delivers for the communities, hence winning such communities’ support.
In this edition we carry an article on the empowerment journey of women from Iminyela in Bulawayo who are doing waste picking. The women say that society looks down on their trade but that they are able to fend for their families. It is our view that the Government and financial institutions should promote such ventures that tie in well with the country’s objectives of a cleaner environment and also reducing costs of production through recycling. We believe that these ventures by women have a potential to grow big and become companies that leave a footprint in their sector. For example, the Lupane project should open the women’s eyes to greater potential and organisations such as ZimTrade could help such groups identify foreign markets and hence increase the number of crops that they grow. Waste management is also a topical area as urban areas grapple with waste disposal and seek ways of maintaining a clean environment that does not contaminate ground water sources or cause other forms of pollution that could lead to disease outbreaks. When women and other groups are empowered, it is then that even their families and society at large can fully enjoy the fruits of independence in the form of economic empowerment.
Siphakeme .Mnindwa
