MARTHA Chisamba (40) of Chirasauta in Chikomba East sat listening attentively at the same time chewing the back of her writing pen. She is often seen writing down as the facilitators take turns to lecture to the villagers, a thing that has never occurred in the area.
BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA
Chisamba is one of the hundreds of villagers in the poverty-stricken area of Chikomba to benefit from a project management training programme aimed at empowering villagers with skills to run development projects in the area.
“I benefitted a lot from this workshop. I am now knowledgeable on how to maintain the projects that we are running in this community. A lot of us were struggling to sustain the business projects that were established here by well-wishers,” she said. The workshop was facilitated by a Canadian delegation from the Zimbabwe Project Canada, which sponsors a community-based civic society, Reaction of Orphans Support Association (Rosa).
Rosa has been involved in a number of community development projects in Chikomba East in a bid to fight poverty, as well as assisting vulnerable members of the society.
When NewsDay Weekender visited the area recently, hundreds of villagers were gathered at Mangoro Primary School for the training.
Ward 27 councillor, Lawrence Watambwa said the project management training will go a long way in equipping beneficiaries with knowledge on how to manage a business. He said a number of projects were failing to succeed due to lack of knowledge.
“We are very happy that the Canadian team is here to train members of the community on how to sustain a project or business. Before, a number of projects established failed and we hope that after the training beneficiaries will resuscitate them so that we fight poverty in the community. For example, there is a goat rearing group that lost about 10 of their animals. They did not know what to do and if they had knowledge just to inform the veterinary department in time they could have saved some of the goats,” Watambwa said.
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According to education officials in the area, the community businesses have also seen a decrease of the number of school dropouts as the projects ensures that poor families or beneficiaries have money to pay school fees for their children.
Traditional leader, Chief Chitsunge, who also attended the workshop hailed the Canadian team for the training and said his community will move towards poverty eradication.
“In our culture, we say he who gives you a fruit belongs to you. Who are we to deny such an opportunity that is meant to assist people? I am happy of the projects being implemented in this area. The children are benefiting a lot,” he said.
Rosa director, Forbes Chikobvu, whose organisation has been involved in empowering villagers, said he was happy by the turnout at the training workshop.
“The response was good. We have 55 groups with 10 people each are currently beneficiaries of different income generating projects. However, we had new people who came and were taught on how to start businesses.
“We are moving forward with the programme of empowering and we are now looking forward to assist the elderly and orphans, who had their homes destroyed by hailstorm during the just ended rain season,” he said.
Some of the community projects being done in Chikomba East constituency include soap-making, horticulture, grinding mill and goat-rearing, among others.
Rosa also pay fees for a number of orphans and some of the pupils that have benefited are those from Chirasauta, Mutengwa, Dembwa and Bimha primary schools, among others.
