Chronicle Editor
Fairness Moyana in Hwange
YOUNG women from the Ndumebizha area in Hwange District, Matabeleland North Province, have received a boost after Young Women 4ED (YW4ED) donated 100 Sasso chickens as part of an initiative to economically empower them. Most of the beneficiaries are survivors of child marriages.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony in Ndumebizha last Thursday, YW4ED Matabeleland North chapter chairperson, Cde Norah Dube, encouraged the young women to capitalise on the high demand for poultry products, particularly among the local Chinese community.
“I want to urge you all here to take advantage of the increasing number of Chinese who have a huge appetite for traditional chickens and work hard towards meeting that demand. This donation should enable you to hit the ground running in terms of markets,” said Cde Dube.
She added that the growing Chinese expatriate population in Hwange, driven by coal and lithium mining investments, presents a lucrative market for traditional poultry products.
The district is home to over 12 mining and coke processing companies at various stages of construction, creating job opportunities for the local youth and boosting economic activity.
Cde Dube highlighted that poultry, piggery and small livestock projects offer significant economic growth opportunities and enhance household food security.
“Empowerment projects such as piggery, poultry and small livestock provide an opportunity for economic growth and household food security as they have a ready market, especially with the coming in of our Chinese friends,” she noted.
The donation is part of a pass-on project pioneered by YW4ED in Matabeleland North to economically empower young women, particularly those who have faced early pregnancies and marriages.
“This initiative, which we are pioneering in these two villages, is meant to be passed on to others after all of you have benefited as young women. We aim to stimulate economic growth and self-sufficiency among young women in our province,” said Cde Dube.
“These types of road runners can lay eggs four times a day with the eggs highly fertile such that you will be able to incubate them and get more chicks. We want to empower young women who are facing hardships as a result of unwanted pregnancies or early marriage.”
Cde Dube implored the young women to use locally available resources such as sunflower seeds, sorghum, and paw-paw for chicken feed, given the rising costs of commercial feed.
She also advised them to venture into maggot farming, a cost-effective and nutritious option for poultry feed.
“These types of chickens only need a starter pack for chicks to stimulate growth, but once they are over a month old, you can make use of locally available resources,” said Cde Dube.
She added, “Maggot farming is simple to start and maintain. All you need to stimulate the worms is waste like cabbage leaves.” In addition, YW4ED has plans to roll out goat-rearing projects across the district, with a similar initiative already underway in Binga.
Meanwhile, women in Ndumebizha have appealed to authorities to assist with borehole drilling, as they struggle with limited access to clean water.
One of the young women beneficiaries, who only identified herself as Precious, expressed gratitude for the chicken donation but emphasised the need for water.
“The donation by YW4ED is a shot in the arm for us and will go a long way in economically empowering us as young women. However, we want to appeal to the organisation and authorities to help us with access to water,” she said.
YW4ED Matabeleland North recently stepped in to help a mentally ill young woman in Chachachunda under Chief Whange area, after she was raped and impregnated by a relative.
The organisation donated blankets, groceries and clothes to support her and her daughter, who were left homeless after a fire gutted their hut.
Online Reporter