Poultry production improves livelihoods in Shackleton
Together with the Government of Zimbabwe, the ILO is working to build the capacity of local government structures to systematically identify employment and income generating opportunities at the community level. Communities are also provided with knowledge and skills to allow them to benefit from the opportunities.
12 May 2017
(ILO News) Mashonaland West: In Zimbabwe, the discovery of mining deposits gave impetus to economic growth and urbanization of some remote places that became mining towns. In the wake of low mineral prices and the general economic challenges in the post 2000 era, the reliance of some communities on mining became a catalyst for decline and impoverishment. Shackleton is one such town in Makonde District – once bustling as a result of copper mining and smelting related activities in Mashonaland West. This small community, of around 700 households, located 25 kilometers west of Chinhoyi town, has been hit hard by the decline of mining activities.
Almost 20 years since the closure of the mines, the aftermath of the devastating period is still evident today. Subdued economic activity means most residents struggle to eke a living. Decent work is a rare commodity, with many relying on informal activities (locally and in Chinhoyi) and on casual work in the neighboring farms. Young people and women are hardest hit, as they are forced to compete for the few precarious options available. Sex work and drug abuse are rampant while anecdotal evidence suggests poor sexual reproductive health outcomes for the population.
In the face of these challenges the Government of Zimbabwe led by the Ministry of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare is partnering with the International Labour Office (ILO) to build the capacity of local government structures. This is to identify employment and income generating opportunities at the community level, to design and deliver appropriate training programmes with local public and private training providers to youths and women. The young people and women also receive the necessary post-training support, for example, access to markets and credit to ensure they can get into self-employment.
This strategy is being implemented in Makonde district through a programme aimed at implementing multi-faceted initiatives for job creation in the informal and rural economy. One of the communities that have been reached is Shackleton. As no formal training institutions exist in the Shackleton community, the local implementation stakeholders through Makonde District were supported to deliver mobile trainings in horticultural and livestock production as well as and business management to allow young people and women to take advantage of economic opportunities in the community.
After benefitting from the skills training, a group of 30 women came together to form Zvikomborero (Blessings) Poultry – a poultry production business, a group enterprise that seeks to generate improved incomes. With help from the community, the women have acquired a working space by refurbishing an old fowl run. The district level offices of the Ministries of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development and Small and Medium enterprises and Co-operative Development are leading efforts to provide market linkages for the women. A number of contracts have already been signed to ensure the birds have a ready market at the end of the production cycle.
The intervention targeted disadvantaged women in the community and paid significant attention to gender dynamics in the community as part of the sustainability strategy. Local leaders at provincial, district and community level benefitted from a Training of Trainers programme to equip them to deliver gender responsive training programmes. As a result, leaders are in better position to mainstream principles of gender equality and non-discrimination in social and economic development programmes. The communities they serve are now more sensitive to the multiple barriers for women’s economic participation.
It is evident that such bottom-up interventions, aligned to local needs and realities are a key strategy to create decent jobs, where they are most needed and could provide respite for other communities facing economic difficulties.
Almost 20 years since the closure of the mines, the aftermath of the devastating period is still evident today. Subdued economic activity means most residents struggle to eke a living. Decent work is a rare commodity, with many relying on informal activities (locally and in Chinhoyi) and on casual work in the neighboring farms. Young people and women are hardest hit, as they are forced to compete for the few precarious options available. Sex work and drug abuse are rampant while anecdotal evidence suggests poor sexual reproductive health outcomes for the population.
In the face of these challenges the Government of Zimbabwe led by the Ministry of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare is partnering with the International Labour Office (ILO) to build the capacity of local government structures. This is to identify employment and income generating opportunities at the community level, to design and deliver appropriate training programmes with local public and private training providers to youths and women. The young people and women also receive the necessary post-training support, for example, access to markets and credit to ensure they can get into self-employment.
This strategy is being implemented in Makonde district through a programme aimed at implementing multi-faceted initiatives for job creation in the informal and rural economy. One of the communities that have been reached is Shackleton. As no formal training institutions exist in the Shackleton community, the local implementation stakeholders through Makonde District were supported to deliver mobile trainings in horticultural and livestock production as well as and business management to allow young people and women to take advantage of economic opportunities in the community.
After benefitting from the skills training, a group of 30 women came together to form Zvikomborero (Blessings) Poultry – a poultry production business, a group enterprise that seeks to generate improved incomes. With help from the community, the women have acquired a working space by refurbishing an old fowl run. The district level offices of the Ministries of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development and Small and Medium enterprises and Co-operative Development are leading efforts to provide market linkages for the women. A number of contracts have already been signed to ensure the birds have a ready market at the end of the production cycle.
The intervention targeted disadvantaged women in the community and paid significant attention to gender dynamics in the community as part of the sustainability strategy. Local leaders at provincial, district and community level benefitted from a Training of Trainers programme to equip them to deliver gender responsive training programmes. As a result, leaders are in better position to mainstream principles of gender equality and non-discrimination in social and economic development programmes. The communities they serve are now more sensitive to the multiple barriers for women’s economic participation.
It is evident that such bottom-up interventions, aligned to local needs and realities are a key strategy to create decent jobs, where they are most needed and could provide respite for other communities facing economic difficulties.