Tadzei Bvute (50), a woman from Mazvihwa village in Zvishavane district says she is one of 17 women who have been empowered and are working to restore their degraded landscape.
Tadzei says it all started in 2021 after the women received training under the Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGA) in partnership with PELUM Zimbabwe member, Muonde Trust.
“I was introduced to the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action programme, which aims to empower women and promote sustainable development. I was trained for 6 months at the Muonde Trust Centre and that’s when I started planting trees to regenerate my community,” says Tadzei.
“I am proud to have been part of this program and to have made a positive impact in our community. This project has transformed my thinking too because now I have started to realise how important trees are,” adds Tadzei.
Eustina Mazarire (43) who is also one of the 17 women who participated in this training says the project has educated the community about the importance of trees and how they can help prevent soil erosion, regenerate the landscape and improve biodiversity.
“The project has helped us regenerate our landscape, prevent soil loss and provide shelter for animals and insects thereby improving the biodiversity in our community,” she says.
Daniel Ndlovu (35), Project Officer at Muonde Trust has been working with local women to pioneer the project in Mazvihwa community. He says his organization has trained women on sustainable farming and agroecology since 2021.
“We trained 17 women in 2021 and 30 more since then. It's amazing to see the ripple effect of the training, with the women who were trained passing on their knowledge to others. The women have really taken ownership of this project and are making a real difference in their communities,” says Daniel.