An Internal Savings Club called Chinyakire is helping women in Rushinga district in Mashonaland Central province to raise money to support their families and finance their smallholder farming operations. The establishment of this group was facilitated by PELUM Zimbabwe member, Farmers' Association of Community self-Help Investment Groups (FACHIG) in 2017.
Otillia Make (51), a mother of four who also looks after her 83 year old mother is part of this ten member group. Before joining the group, Otillia was struggling to maximise the production potential of her 2.8 hectare plot.
“Before being involved in the savings club I was facing challenges. I lacked skills and capital to successfully run farming operations in my plot,” says Otillia.
Along with the internal savings training, FACHIG also trained Otillia on peanut butter production, after which she decided to venture into peanut butter processing. The initiative brought by FACHIG proved to be just what Otillia needed. It gave Otillia the skills and financial capacity to improve and widen the production capacity of her plot.
The internal savings club is providing Otillia with a financial base to venture into and invest in other projects that would have been difficult for her to venture into.
“I am planning to venture into indigenous chicken rearing where I will produce indigenous chickens both for income generation and also to feed my family,” says Otillia.
Otillia has a desire to see her community prospering and took it upon herself to share the knowledge she gained from working with FACHIG to empower other women in her community.
“I mobilize fellow farmers and share with them the knowledge I have acquired from the various workshops, exchange and learning visits I attend through FACHIG,” says Otillia.
Opmerkingen