With the global effect and devastation the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, many individuals and communities were impacted negatively. Some local businesses were forced to shut down and any ongoing projects to advance local communities may have been put on hold.

Despite the obstacles faced, our community projects team continued to work tirelessly to improve the lives of rural Zimbabweans.

While there are many ongoing community projects that have benefited from your assistance, here are three community initiatives that have been successful and would not have been possible without your support:

Empowering Female Entrepreneurs

Binga District, located in Zimbabwe is home to many women who have never left their rural communities or had the opportunity to further their education to create a better future.

Many young girls often drop out of school at an early age and are forced into early marriage because this is the only way for them to be supported.

It is not uncommon for many of these young women, who are frequently married off at an early age to have two or more children before they are 18 years old and to be unemployed. Because of the scarcity of employment opportunities in the rural communities and nearby areas, finding a job is not always possible.

After spending time in the local communities and getting to know many of these women and their daily struggles, we decided to assist them by providing them with an opportunity that gives them a long-term solution for their source of income.

We were able to procure a peanut butter-making machine with your assistance and deliver it to a small group of women in the Binga District.

Since receiving the machine, they have since processed their first batch of peanut butter, which is now available for sale in Binga. They plan to expand their operations as they gain more experience on how to run a business.

Improving Road Structures

Roads in rural Zimbabwe are often in need of repair or being constructed entirely. However, due to the economic hardships the country has faced over the years, the maintenance or construction of these roads is often overlooked.

Rural areas are often impacted the most because usually there are no roads to begin with and they need to be constructed.

The lack of roads or poorly constructed ones often creates problems for locals and increases the time they spend traveling. A journey that should only take a few minutes to travel, will often take hours, as locals try to navigate dusty and rocky roads that are not graded.

Since our operations have been active in the Makuti and Binga District areas, we have helped with the grading of roads and in some cases constructing new roads.

As a result of your help, we have been able to reduce the amount of time spent traveling on these roads.

Multi-purpose Community Hall

Ubuntu is an African phrase that is widely used in Southern Africa. It encapsulates the fundamental core and culture of how people should live and instilling a sense of belonging and community.

It is for this reason that having a community hall is imperative to preserving the culture of Ubuntu. For many years the people of Nyamakate went without a community hall or a covered space in which large numbers of people could gather and host special events, discuss important issues and just have a central meeting place for their community.

Thanks to the help of supporters like you, we were able to change that for them and construct a community hall that is widely used by locals within the community.

The local community chief known traditionally as the “Sabuku said:

“We are very pleased with the help and support the IAPF has provided us with the construction of this hall, on a day like this where local teams have come together to play volleyball, we are reminded of the importance of sticking together.”

These projects are supported by generous supporters like you and allow people in rural Zimbabwe to have opportunities that create a consistent source of income, travel on roads that are safe and stay together as one community by giving them a central meeting place.

If you would like to keep supporting local communities to thrive, please consider donating to support our ongoing efforts.