Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
A 10-member youth group from Kusena Village, Mukwada Ward 29 in Marange has transformed repeated financial exclusion into a growing agribusiness venture after accessing training and funding support under a youth empowerment initiative that is boosting rural livelihoods in Manicaland Province.
The Riverdale Investments group, comprising five young men and five young women from Kusena Village under Chief Marange, has expanded into horticulture and livestock production following support under the Creating Adaptive Unique Systems for Financing Entrepreneurial Women and Youth (CAUSEWAY) project.
The programme is being implemented by the Zimbabwe Agricultural Development Trust with support from the Swedish and British embassies.
Group founder, Mr Moses Kusena, said the journey had been characterised by repeated setbacks before the intervention.
“We tried to get a loan on our own in 2021 and again in 2022, but we failed,” he said.
Mr Kusena said the turning point came in 2025 when the group accessed training under the CAUSEWAY project, which equipped them with skills in financial literacy, business management, record keeping, enterprise planning and proposal writing.
Following the training, the group developed a bankable proposal which enabled them to secure a US$400 loan from Empower Bank, disbursed within three days.
The funds were channelled towards drip irrigation equipment for maize, watermelon and butternut production, enabling the group to venture into commercial agriculture despite prevailing dry conditions in the area.
Mr Kusena said the group successfully repaid the loan within four months, marking a major milestone in their empowerment journey.
“This is the first time we were able to hold in our hands maize that we produced in our own fields—something we never thought possible in this area,” he said.
Building on the initial success, Riverdale Investments accessed a second loan of US$1 000 in February 2026 to expand into goat production.
The group increased its herd from 10 to 30 goats and constructed improved housing structures to minimise losses due to disease, theft, predation by wild animals and adverse weather conditions.
The expansion was supported through continued mentorship under the CAUSEWAY programme, which is promoting diversification and resilience among young entrepreneurs in rural communities.
The initiative has also strengthened gender inclusion, with young women and men participating equally in decision-making, production and income-generating activities.
Stakeholders said such interventions are critical in unlocking rural economic potential, enhancing food security and reducing youth unemployment through structured financing and skills development.
Riverdale Investments is now emerging as one of the community-based enterprises contributing to sustainable livelihoods and local economic transformation in Marange.
