Income Generating Project

13th May 2009
by The Editors

This photostory was produced by Tendayi and Cynthia Kureya; PANOS; SAFAIDS Zimbabwe and photography by Tendayi Kureya

1 of 4. ‘St. Andrew’s HBC care givers. Insert local Chiefs who support the project.’ My name is Mrs. Mutsago. I am a care giver with St. Andrew’s home based care (HBC) programme. The programme, which is part of the Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme (DOMCCP), has a community owned grinding mill that was donated to us by Irish Aid. The mill is managed by caregivers with financial and advisory support being provided by DOMCCP. The project is enriched by moral support from community leaders. The church provides infrastructure including the milling room, store room and an office. The community is responsible for running and managing the mill.

2 of 4: ‘Miller at work. Behind him are bags of grain brought in by the community as payment for using the mill’. There were very few grinding mills in my community so before we had our own we had no choice but to yield pay the extortionate prices to the mill owners. However, our project mill destroyed that monopoly. Prices are now determined by the market. The mode of payment to the project mill is sensitive to the community resources. Payment can be in the form of cash or grain, that is, a gallon per every 20kgs of maize that we grind. It is centrally located and within reasonable reach for many who otherwise would have to travel very long distances to access a mill.

3 of 4: ‘Some OVCs giving testimonies at a community meeting.’ The mill is now self-sustaining as the income meets all the related overheads, including remuneration for the miller. Part of the profit is used to buy stationery and send OVCs to school. We also give grain to OVCs and the sick.

4 of 4: ‘Project manager pointing at some of the pigs.’ Some profit from the grinding mill was used to start a piggery project. Initially, we purchased two pigs and now we have eight. The grinding mill continues to support the piggery through the supply of feed.

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