What’s the key lesson to take away from Zimbabwe’s work on the Masvingo recovery project? According to the researcher: “Women can do it.” Not a surprise for CARE, but it was a surprise for the communities, even the women themselves.
Margaret said, “…I never had imagined the changes it would bring into my life. I was soon surprised to be chosen to serve as lead farmer for a farmer group that has both women and men. For the first time in my life, I led and taught a group comprising both women and men. All along I had thought that such a role was for men.”
The Masvingo El Nino Recovery project ran in Zimbabwe from 2017-2018, with $2.9 million in support from USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). It reached more than 32,000 people directly.
What did we accomplish?
- Families have more money: Incomes quadrupled, from a start of $11 to $49 per month.
- Women used savings to invest in the future: People in the program saved an average of $37, and put $13 of those dollars towards building assets, like houses, toilets, and supplies like fertilizer to increase the amount of food they can grow. 20% of women are also using the money to send their kids to school.
- People are more likely to have food: The number of months where people could get enough food went from 2 at the beginning of the project to 7.9 at the end, a 4-fold increase.
- Water is safer: 32,315 people got access to clean water. Women also spent less time collecting water, and didn’t have to travel as far to get clean water.
- Families are more resilient: Families report that now they are better at solving problems themselves, and they are confident they can grow their own food. Because people had better access to vets, fewer cows died in the drought, which helps families bounce back faster.
- Women are taking the lead: According to the evaluator, the project “tilted the balance … in favour of women.” More women are in leadership positions, and own assets like land and houses.
How did we get there?
- Think about emergencies and long-term growth: The project built on a 2016 emergency response project to help families face new challenges and build longer-term safety nets for themselves.
- Rebuild infrastructure: The project worked with local governments and health workers to re-build water points, train local management committees, and make sure people knew how to keep water safe.
- Work with women leaders: Most of the peer educators and leaders the project supported were women—giving women a chance to demonstrate their skills in front of their communities.
- Focus on food production: Vouchers to purchase fertilizer and seed distribution, as well as training in new agriculture techniques that help farmers weather dry conditions were important factors in increasing incomes and food security. 99% of farmers applied these new methods to their fields.
- Work with savings groups: More than 4,582 people joined savings groups, and saved $169,953. 99% of those groups are still functioning, and new groups are starting to form.
Want to learn more?
Check out the evaluation.