Community Poultry Project to End Poverty and Donor Dependency in Lupane

Gateway Fellows in the Organisation of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP) are embarking on a community poultry project to end a cycle of poverty and donor dependency, as part of the Sikhulandawonye Community Projects initiative in Lupane. .

Lupane is a drought-prone rural area in Matebeleland North, Zimbabwe. Due to the continued effects of historic periods of genocide and marginalisation, the district has seen a slow pace of development. This has seen many of the communities becoming dependent on hand-outs and food aid for their survival. 

Helping those in need

Gateway Fellows in Lupane, as part of the Sikhulandawonye Community Projects Initiative, are making efforts to end the cycle of poverty and donor dependency by embarking on a poultry project, aimed at creating sustainable, economically independent communities in Lupane. 

Targeting the community's youths - who are currently plagued by unemployment, rising levels of drug abuse and teenage pregnancy, the project seeks to impart entrepreneurial skills to 15 young men and women through this poultry project, providing them with income-generating opportunities. These 15 will be expected to transfer the skills to a further 20 youths, thus growing the capacity of the project.

Through the project, the community will become more united and self-reliant, having access to more affordable, locally-produced nutritional food. 'Sikhulandawonye' is a Ndebele term meaning 'We grow together' and the fellows seek to see this project bring their community together to learn, work and grow together.

"What an opportunity", June Mpofo praises the Make It Grow project on behalf of the Lupane community in Zimbabwe.

The Gateway Fellowship is an 18-month program by Gateway Zimbabwe. It involves five 5-day intensive modules to cultivate knowledge of social processes, inner work practices and nature observation, to be applied to social change and community engagement.

This video proposal was created by the Gateway Fellows themselves, through engagement in the "Make it Grow" participatory video workshop series, which supported the development of video-making skills, project planning and proposal-making. "Make it Grow" is a Knowledge Exchange project from the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield.

To donate to this specific project, please visit: https://www.givengain.com/cc/community-poultry-project/