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A BINGA district based non-governmental organisation, Zubo Trust has commissioned a small-scale household income-generating centre which is expected to benefit over 150 women.
The construction of the centre, which was officially opened two weeks ago as well as the purchasing of equipment to be used for various projects is estimated to have cost the NGO about $40 000.
The rural folks are expected to produce finished products such as Muyaya, a traditional beverage made from baobab fruits, soap using jatropha seeds as well as crafting various household ornaments.
Zubo’s project coordinator Mrs Rosemary Cumanzala said the project’s thrust was aimed at facilitating a place where women would work together and assist each other to improve on quality of their products as well as stocking their goods before marketing them.
“We are happy that we have managed to complete this building which was successfully funded by Welthaus Bielefeld, an organisation from Germany. The machines that will be used for making soap have been bought and we are aiming to expand the project if we realise a good market,” Mrs Cumanzala said.
Zubo Trust sent samples of Muyaya which was produced by a group of women for testing by the Ministry of Health and Child Care to determine if the beverage meets the required health standards for consumption with a view of introducing it to a wider market.
“We produced Muyaya and took it to the Ministry of Health and Child Care laboratories in Bulawayo for testing and we are currently waiting for permission to manufacture the beverage at large scale and spread it to other potentially lucrative markets,” Mrs Cumanzala.
The 150 women to directly benefit from the project have been drawn from the district’s six wards namely Sikalenge, Siachilaba, Simatelele, Chinonge, Manjolo and Kariyangwe.
“We selected women from different wards in the district to work on these projects. We are non-discriminatory but we intend to work with those that are to expand their enterprises to accommodate a large number of people,” Mrs Cumanzala said.
The women use the funds realised from their ventures solely to emancipate them as well as to improve the livelihoods of their families.
“We encourage women to be responsible to their families, hence they must work for themselves,” said Mrs Cumanzala.
Zubo Trust is also involved in a fish farming project whereby the NGO assisted Bbindawuko Lyabanakazi co-operative with fish breeding material and 4 000 red bream fish as an alternative to raise income in the advent of the dwindling Kapenta fish in the Zambezi River over the last few months.
“We have been fishing Kapenta for the past two years but this year we were shocked by the dwindling of water levels in the Zambezi, a situation, which has made it difficult for us to catch the fish. We believe breeding fish in ponds will enable us to seek a lucrative market.
“The project has been going well even though we are facing some few challenges. There is no established place in the district where we can buy feed. We usually travel to Bulawayo or Victoria falls when we run out of stocks, which is an expense,” said the cooperative’s chairperson, Mrs Sinikiwe Mwinde.
Zubo Trust was founded in 2010 in partnership with the United Nations organ for Gender, Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In its inception the Trust funded the Bbindawuko Lyabanakazi Kapenta Fish Project.
Online Reporter