A United Nations initiative in Bulawayo is helping unemployed youth and elderly residents achieve self-sufficiency through community gardening and small business ventures. The program, a partnership with the government and other organizations, has evolved from providing cash transfers to building sustainable income sources.
At the Old Lobengula Community Garden, a project revitalized with support from Danish Church Aid, members grow and sell vegetables. The garden's committee chair, Trynos Dube, reported that participants earn significant income, enabling them to pay school fees and household bills. A solar-powered borehole ensures a consistent water supply for the 93 members, most of whom are women.
The program also supports individual entrepreneurs, such as Esnath Gonye, a mother of five. After receiving business training and capital, she transitioned from vegetable vending to launching her own detergent brand, earning several hundred dollars monthly. A World Food Programme representative stated the strategy focuses on critical infrastructure, like installing boreholes, to ensure the projects' long-term viability.
At the Old Lobengula Community Garden, a project revitalized with support from Danish Church Aid, members grow and sell vegetables. The garden's committee chair, Trynos Dube, reported that participants earn significant income, enabling them to pay school fees and household bills. A solar-powered borehole ensures a consistent water supply for the 93 members, most of whom are women.
The program also supports individual entrepreneurs, such as Esnath Gonye, a mother of five. After receiving business training and capital, she transitioned from vegetable vending to launching her own detergent brand, earning several hundred dollars monthly. A World Food Programme representative stated the strategy focuses on critical infrastructure, like installing boreholes, to ensure the projects' long-term viability.
