Zimbabwe
Capital: Harare
Population: 11,392,629
Population below national poverty line: 68%
Bóthar in Zimbabwe:
Bóthar began it’s first project in Zimbabwe in 2002. A number of different animals have been used in Bóthar projects there including, guinea fowl, dairy cows, dairy goats, chickens, rabbits and A.I. support has also been provided.
Zimbabwe Project Profiles
Project title:
Hope for the San
Location: Bulilima District
Number of families: 200
Animals: 450 goats, 500 chickens
Other inputs: Vegetable seeds, animal enclosure and farming materials, vaccinations
Training: Vegetable production, HIV/AIDS awareness, animal and vegetable farming
Brief synopsis: This project aims to help the plight of the nomadic San people of Zimbabwe through the provision of livestock, training and vegetable gardening. Through this practice, the San are being encouraged to settle down and to depend on the fruits of their labour rather than through hunting and gathering for their food, thus allowing them a constant and dependable source of both food and income.
Pass-on obligations: The families are expected to pass on what they have received
Expected benefits: Through farming, the San will move toward a more sedentary lifestyle and enjoy the benefits of regular food and a stable home.
Local partner(s): Heifer Zimbabwe
Project title:
Raramo: Holistic Approach for the Tonga people
Location: Gweru (North-Western region)
Number of families: 132
Animals: 119 guinea fowl, 100 goats and 84 heifers
Other inputs: Seeds, seedlings, training materials
Training: Livestock management, record keeping and marketing, the use of herbs
Brief synopsis: This project addresses the needs of the Tonga people, a minority group, in the Western part of the country. Being seriously affected by HIV/AIDS, poverty, a difficult climate and insufficient support from the government, these people will be helped in a holistic manner that will hope to improve their environment, the members’ health and the farming of the animals they are given.
Pass-on obligations: The families will pass-on to the same number again
Expected benefits: An increase in HIV/AIDS awareness, improved nutrition for the families, increased income of participants and for those living with HIV/AIDS, better health through the use of indigenous herbs and plants.
Local partner(s): Chivi District Umbrella Committee, Heifer Zimbabwe
Other relevant data: This project has been continually hampered by the political and economic situation in the country. The run-away inflation rate reduced the value of the farmers produce and the government temporarily halted all NGO activity in the country for a number of months in 2008. Despite all of this, the project continues to grow and the importance of food independence could hardly be more apparent.
Project title:
Mwenezi HIV and AIDS Project
Location: Mwenezi district of the Masvingo province
Number of families: 170
Animals: 170 families have been provided with 6 bulls along with 60 heifers, along with 800 poultry, 200 goats and 80 rabbits. Along with these placements, 5 gardens have also been established and there has even been the pass on of 300 poultry and 80 rabbits.
Other inputs: Agricultural equipment + supplies
Training: Livestock management and care, nutrition, literacy, HIV/AIDS awareness and peer education.
Brief synopsis: In the ‘Tariro’(Hope) project in Mwenezi, the focus is on families affected and infected by HIV/AIDS. Along with our partner, Heifer Zimbabwe, 170 families have already been helped. Training has been provided with all animal placements and 6 bulls along with 60 heifers have been distributed along with 800 poultry, 200 goats and 80 rabbits. Along with these placements, 5 gardens have also been established and there been the pass on of 300 poultry and 80 rabbits.
Pass-on obligations: All families are required to pass-on what they received
Expected benefits: Because the people in this project had animals and vegetables that they could rely on for food, they were spared the worst of the economic crisis that hit the country in 2008.
