BY TANYARADZWA NHARI FIRST Capital Bank (FCB) has donated farming equipment to Chemhondoro Primary School young farmers club as part of its strategy to support farmers.
Chemhondoro Primary School is in Mashonaland East province.
The club was established in 2012, and it is the brain child of the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU).
It gives to schoolchildren to put their agricultural lessons into practice.
FCB has been making donations to schools with potential young farmers around Zimbabwe since their partnership with ZFU started in 2015.
FCB consumer banking director Angeline Kamhiriri said: “When we initially partnered with the Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union in 2015, we were clear that we wanted to make a difference in the lives of our youth.
“Our intention was to positively play a role in developing young people in a sustainable manner, so that they contribute to some of the broader, wider issues like food security and unemployment.”
FCB donated four water pumps, eight diamond mesh wire, two by 1 000-litre jumbo tanks, fertilizer and seeds for onions, tomatoes, cabbage.
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The bank has been teaching the up-and-coming farmers financial literacy and how to practise farming as a business.
It has also supported them with poultry stockfeeds, driers, drip kits and horticultural inputs.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the programme had been temporarily discontinued.
FCB said since COVID-19 restrictions had been reduced, its management, together with ZFU decided to resume.
ZFU executive director, Paul Zakariya said: “Prior to the event we have in conjunction with First Capital Bank been teaching young children in the primary, secondary sectors as well as school dropouts the skills they need to become farmers.”
According to Zakariya annually they would identify youth that needed support in farming.
ZFU has also been involved in programmes with organisations like Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions whose interest is to educate schoolchildren about farming across southern Africa.
In 2014 ZFU and the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund joined hands in identifying school dropouts so that they could take part in an accelerated farming skills programme.
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