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Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
FOR Mr Obert Mubururu of Mubururu Village in Chimanimani, the thought of sending his children to university was a distant dream that he had no hope of ever fulfilling five years ago.
As a subsistence farmer in an area which is prone to erratic weather conditions, Mr Mubururu was struggling to make ends meet through his farming activities.
Fortunately the introduction of the Kuguta Kushanda Group, a savings for transformation group, brought financial freedom to Mr Mubururu and 15 other subsistence farmers in his village.
The group transformed the 16 resource poor farmers into small-scale commercial farmers.
Today, Mr Mubururu has managed to realise his dream of sending his children to university as he has managed to save and create a mini trust fund for his children’s education.
When The Manica Post caught up with the Kuguta Kushanda Group, Mr Mubururu said they have managed to support their business interests through working together.
“We sold group shares and for someone to join the group, they had to buy a minimum of one share up to a maximum of five shares.
“There were 16 of us and we deposited the money in our cashbox. We started loaning each other the money at 20 percent interest. Our money accumulated as months went by.
“At the end of the first year, we made quite some money and we shared using the same system that we used to join the group.
“If one bought one share during the start of the group, you were entitled to money equivalent to that single share. If one had bought five shares, they were entitled to get the equivalent of that,” said Mr Mubururu.
Savings for transformation groups are designed to be inclusive and ensure that the most vulnerable members of community can access financial services and participate in the local economy.
“When we were introduced to the savings concept, we thought it would not work because we were just subsistence farmers who relied on farming to feed our families. We could not produce any surplus for sale,” he said.
The savings groups were introduced to Chimanimani villagers by development partners that include Participatory Organic Research and Extension Training Trust (PORET), Towards Sustainable Use of Resources Organisation (TSURO) and World Vision.
As a result of the initiative, the group members have managed to mechanise their farming operations and have grown from being subsistence to small-scale commercial farmers.
“Through these groups, we have managed to save money in small amounts and lend each other when the need arises.
“We have also managed to acquire farming implements which we are now using to grow produce more in our fields. We are now able to produce surplus for sale and sustain our families,” said Mr Mubururu.
Another savings group, Zvechinyakare, has embarked on a chicken and goat rearing business.
lndeed, the concept is a key contributor to women’s social and economic empowerment, as well as household resilience.
The group’s secretary, Ms Queen Chimoyo of Nenohwe Village said they started their project in 2020.
“We started this group after almost starving to death in 2020. That was when the Covid-19 pandemic really hit the country hard and we had no development partners coming to rescue us.
“We also had poor harvests due to climate change. We were struggling to put food on the table and that is when we were introduced to the savings for transformation concept. We teamed up and sold each other the shares that have brought us to where we are today,” she said.
Ms Chimoyo said they are looking forward to acquiring irrigation equipment for group members at the end of this year as they are in Natural Region Four which receives scanty rainfall.
“We have started an animal rearing business but to keep boosting our internal savings or cashbox, we still loan the money to members and they pay it back with interest.
“Our money keeps accumulating in the cashbox. By the end of this year, we are sure that we will be able to acquire irrigation equipment for all 15 members,” said Ms Chimoyo.
ln the same area, the Takwirira Group has also established a goat rearing business and is now exporting hybrid Boer goats to foreign markets.
A group member, Ms Sarah Maposa said the group has transformed the rural women’s lives.
“We do not sell our goats for a song as we know that they are a good breed. We are now selling them to foreign markets where there is a lucrative market.
“Before this, we relied on hand-outs. We have been economically empowered. We are glad that we are now able to sustain our households,” she said.
The groups have inarguably managed to build resilience and turn small groups of farmers into Small to Medium Enterprises.
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