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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
ZANU-PF Women’s League members in Bulawayo have hailed First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe for initiating a poultry project for women saying the empowerment of women is key to the development of the country.
Dr Mugabe is set to donate 30 000 chicks to Zanu-PF Women’s League members in the country’s 10 provinces with each province being allocated 3 000 chicks.
However, before the chicks are dispatched to the provinces, Dr Mugabe saw it fit for women to be trained on how to nurture the chickens to curb losses.
The Zanu-PF Women’s League in partnership with Irvine’s, a giant in the poultry industry, started the chicken training programme on Tuesday in Matabeleland North province and the training moved to Bulawayo yesterday.
The Bulawayo training was conducted at a city hotel in the morning and another lesson was held in Mpopoma suburb later in the day.
The Bulawayo Women’s League provincial chairperson, Cde Eva Bitu, showered praises on Dr Mugabe saying women in the province should be pro-active and emulate the First Lady’s business mindedness. She said the First Family was running a successful dairy company among other projects which women should learn from.
Cde Bitu said the poultry project should unite women for a common cause.
“As Bulawayo province we want to thank umama, the First Lady who was graceful enough to initiate this poultry project, which is going to open our minds as women. We believe this project is going to come in handy for us as we head towards the 2018 elections. Because the training which targets women from district, branch to cell level, it will keep us organised and working together,” she said.
Cde Bitu said the chicken project would assist women who were struggling to make ends meet.
“Women come across serious problems in their lives. Most of them are struggling to pay fees for their children, they fail to pay rates, recently council was disconnecting water over non-payment of rates and most women became victims. This was caused by the fact that they are not involved in any income generating programmes. But because the First Lady is a mother who cares for her children, she brought this programme and it will assist us to take care of our families,” she said.
Zanu-PF’s national consultative member Cde Molly Mpofu said Dr Mugabe was a mother who listens to the cries of her children.
She said the chicken project was a stepping stone as women hope that the First Lady will assist them in other projects.
“We also want to venture into livestock production and it is our hope that the First Lady as our mother can assist us to fulfil our dreams. This is because most of the times it’s the women who toil in the fields only for men to reap the outcomes. We are capable as women so we need to be empowered in a bigger way. But we want to thank her for the chicken project, it’s a good starting point,” Cde Mpofu said.
Meanwhile, about 350 Zanu-PF women in Masvingo are set to benefit from Dr Mugabe’s nationwide poultry programme, reports Walter Mswazi.
The Women’s league members underwent chicken rearing training at Rodgers Halman Hall in Mucheke in Masvingo yesterday. The training is being facilitated by officials from poultry producers, Irvine’s.
Women who underwent the one day training were drawn from seven districts that include Zaka, Masvingo, Bikita, Mwenezi, Chiredzi, Chivi and Gutu.
Masvingo Zanu-PF provincial Women’s League chairperson Cde Veronica Makonese hailed the First Lady’s empowerment programmes saying she seeks to improve the women’s welfare.
She said Zanu-PF in Masvingo were happy to be involved in the programme meant to generate some income for many families.
“We are being trained on how to keep chickens as Zanu- PF Women’s League in Masvingo. About 350 Zanu-PF women will benefit from this project introduced by our First Lady,” said Cde Makonese.
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