The 26th International Youth Day spotlights the significant progress youths are making in the communities they come from and challenges they continue face to bring about the change they desire resulting from social exclusion.
Commemorating International Youth Day on the 12th of August 2024, we highlight the need to harness the potential youths wield to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. The use of digital technology to achieve sustainable development presents numerous progressive opportunities yet it remains untapped especially in sub-Saharan Africa where access to electricity and internet remains a challenge.
There’s need for social cohesion, young people need to come together, debate real life issues hindering their communities to progress and find solutions. We call on world leaders to invest for impact towards youths needed to create sustainable solutions for some of the world’s most pressing big challenges of our time.
As Humana People to People, we believe in starting with people to create the hope they need to believe that they can make a difference to transform their lives. We support young people to have confidence and believe in their potential, influence and skills to contribute positively not only to their own future, but also to younger generations and those around them in their communities. In our 16 Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) colleges we train and support young people to take a lead in carrying out youth-led green initiatives in their local communities to combat climate change and create employment sustainably. Youth are a key force to reckon with in peacebuilding efforts, therefore we engage young people in our education, health, sustainable agriculture and environment as well as community development programmes to take charge of creating peaceful environments, thus making a significant impact towards the health and well-being of a truly functional society.
DAPP Zimbabwe’s long-standing history in training and supporting youths is visible through Ponesai Vanhu Technical College where more than 7,000 youths have graduated from the school since 1981. The project is centred on equipping youth with relevant vocational skills and knowledge as well as life skills for them to become productive youths, that are able to secure employment or become self-reliant by starting up small scale businesses. The school ensures that competent skills provided are demand driven not only on the job market but in creating sustainable development as well. Through business skills, students are encouraged to start their own small-scale businesses and create jobs for others. The school prioritizes equal training opportunities for both genders thereby reducing the chances of women being left behind from emerging TVET opportunities.
We recognize the potential youth have and the exclusion as well own development barriers they face. It’s not too late to engage youths, it only requires the international community to share synergies with influential forces that makes it possible to create enabling environments for inclusive and meaningful youth participation where their voices can be heard to follow their interests, with the support of adult mentors. We continue to strengthen youth agency that enables youths to contribute positively to their surrounding communities thus paving a way forward towards achieving sustainable development.
A new project aimed at building the resilience of communities in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe, to climate change has been launched. The Building adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities to climate change in Chimanimani District project, implemented by Development Aid from People to People Zimbabwe (DAPPZ) in partnership with Civil Society in Development (CISU) through UFF-Humana, will target 1,000 smallholder farmers and their families in wards 13 and 21 in Chimanimani District.
The project seeks to promote climate-smart agriculture, agroforestry, and biodiversity, as well as strengthen the transformative capacities of the community and local authorities to adapt to climate change. It will also enhance market linkages for smallholder farmers and promote evidence-based advocacy and cross-learning among stakeholders.
Chimanimani District is one of the areas most vulnerable to the devastating impacts of climate change in Zimbabwe. The district has experienced a surge in climate-related disasters, including Cyclones Idai and Freddy, floods, and droughts, which have inflicted severe damage to infrastructure, agricultural livelihoods, and human settlements.
The project is expected to contribute to strengthening the partners’ efforts to build adaptive capacity to climate change among the local population, strengthen their resilience to climate shocks, and enhance the community’s advocacy abilities.
“We are committed to supporting vulnerable communities in Zimbabwe to adapt to the impacts of climate change,” said DAPP Zimbabwe Programs Director Ruth Makumbe. “This project is a testament to our partnership with CISU through UFF Humana and our shared commitment to creating a positive impact in the lives of smallholder farmers and their families”.
The project is funded by Civil Society in Development (CISU) and is expected to run for 24 months.
My name is Varaidzo Makotose and I am a 63-year-old widowed lady with six children, three of whom are adults and three still in school. I reside in Ward 12, Chivi District, Masvingo Province, an area that is naturally dry as it falls in natural Region 4. Despite the challenges of dry climatic conditions in Chivi, I have always been fascinated by farming as a business. In 2021, I enrolled in Farmers’ Clubs Chivi being financially supported by GAIA USA to increase my knowledge. I participated in climate-smart agriculture practices, financial literacy and market linkages facilitated by DAPP in collaboration with AGRITEX.
DAPP supported me and other smallholder farmers with smart agriculture training and then supplied us with garden inputs start-up packs. I started applying concepts like mulching, organic manure, crop rotation and natural pesticides which improved my garden productivity significantly. Before, I used to sell a maximum of 10kgs of vegetables per week which has now grown significantly to 60kg realizing $60 monthly income.
I sell vegetables to walk-in customers at the garden and sometimes put up stall at Chivi growth point during open local market sales days. I have started discussing with Chibi and Berejena boarding high schools to supply them with vegetables.
By diversifying my crops, I have reduced dependence on a single crop and increased resilience to market fluctuations. With my profits, I am now able to pay my children’s school fees on time and purchase extra food items like cooking oil, sugar and supplementary mealie-meal since our 2023-2024 field crop production was affected by cyclone El Nino-induced drought.
