Rare cattle project used to empower and heal communities
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by The Zimbabwean
Saturday, 07 August 2010 10:30
“This is the first of meaningful development coming from our own children
whom we educated in hardships,” said an ecstatic Monday Musoro pointing at
two Brahman bulls donated to him and several other people in Bikita by a
development association, Chinoera.
Chinoera was initiated by a group of former University of Zimbabwe (UZ)
students as a way of ploughing back to the communities in which they were
brought up.
“My cow produces 15 litres of milk every day. I drink tea with milk every
day and keep some of the milk to have it with sadza for lunch. Besides I had
a bumper harvest last year because I used manure from my cattle pen. My
first born child is doing his sixth form at Mandadzaka and I expect to send
him to university next year,” said Mercy Machokoto.
“I plough other people’s fields with my cattle and get some money for a
living. We have for a long time been ignored by politicians in terms of
development projects. We don’t mind as we now concentrate on animal rearing
and farming crops such as maize, millet and rapoko. We also grow vegetables.
“
“I used to live in poverty but now my life has improved as I have managed to
build a two roomed house,” she added.
Chinoera was born in 1981 when former UZ students came together to form the
Bikita Education Association. It comprised Paramu Mafongoya, Foreman Foto,
Anthony Gori, Walter Mutsauri and Claudious Maredza.
As a way of helping the community, which helped them attain education, the
group resolved to help temporary teachers in Bikita who had failed O Level.
“We travelled in the area every weekend to teach the temporary teachers the
various subjects that they had failed. Professor Mazuru Gundidza and Chris
Rambanepasi provided us with transport,” said Sessel Zvidzai, a founding
chair of Chinoera.
In 1994, Zvidzai came up with rudimentary surveys on issues to do with
poverty prevalence in Bikita. He realised that projects done since 1980 to
empower people always failed. His analysis showed the projects lacked
social cohesion. Rabbit, fishery and poultry projects that had been started
in Bikita had not done well. It was discovered that a high proportion of
the people had strong religious beliefs in Zionism and the Apostolic faith
and did not eat pork or rabbit meat.
“Participants in the various projects lacked involvement in deciding on the
relevant projects to improve their lives. Most of the projects were embarked
upon without any ground rules or governing instruments like the
constitution. In 1994 I formed Chinoera, which had embarked on cattle
fattening, ostrich keeping, orchard and and seed development projects. We
also set up a constitution.”
The other founding members Onesmo Muridzo, Joshua Munatsi and Tomupeyi
Mukanyi decided that we concentrate on cattle rearing in order to empower
the community with draught power. The lack of draught power was the major
cause of poverty among the people in Bikita.
The group approached Heifer International with a project proposal for
Chinoera. The project proposal was endorsed by church leaders Bishops
Harmony Masuka, Zebert Mutingwende and Simon Mureruswa as well as
traditional leaders Chiefs Budzi, Mukanganwi and Mazungunye.
Satisfied with the positive impact the project would make on rural
communities, Heifer International donated 172 Brahman heifers and 15 Brahman
bulls to Chinoera.
The cattle were distributed to 86 families with each family getting two
heifers and a bull per village. Each member signed an agreement to pass on
two calves to the next needy family. Groups A to Z were formed. Group A
received the first donation.
To date, Group A has passed on an equal number of cattle it received from
Heifer International to groups B, C and D. More cattle were later donated
to other groups in Mupamaonde and Silveira because Chinoera had succeeded in
rearing cattle and giving people draught power. Poverty and diseases
associated with malnutrition like kwashiokor were gradually declining in
Bikita.
This was so because people could now plough their fields on time. They also
had ready organic manure from the cow dung hence an improvement in their
yields.
Chinoera had a district committee responsible for assessing how the projects
were being run. It also taught the people skills to start and manage other
projects like rearing of livestock such as sheep, goats and pigs.
Now Chinoera has become a platform for national healing since people from
various political parties meet, share and interact on development projects.