So what am I actually doing in Zimbabwe???

Once we had had a few days to acclimatise to Zimbabwe and recover from the long journey, we headed to Mutare, the third largest city in Zimbabwe, where I am going to be based for the next 6 months. We were spending two days there so we could meet our in country counterparts, and to have a first meeting with the partner orientation.

Mutare is situated in a beautiful area, surrounded by mountains. It is more like a large town than a city, and is easily navigable by foot.

 

Sunset over Mutare

 

My co-team leader is Kamo and he is from a town near the border with Botswana, which is at the opposite end of the country from Mutare, but he and his family are all based in Mutare now. He is a recent graduate and has an interest in research and film making, which are skills I definitely don’t have, so hopefully our skills will complement each other.

Once we had settled in and spent the night in Mutare, it was off to visit our partner organisation. I am going to be working with Caritas Zimbabwe-Mutare, who are the relief and aid arm of the Catholic church. There are branches of Caritas in a number of countries worldwide. Our project is a livelihoods project, and we will be working at Kentucky farm, a project which provides 184 families who are earning less than $30 per month a plot of land on which to grow vegetables. The aim of the project is to upskill the beneficiaries so that they are earning $60 per month. Our particular focus will be on training them in marketing skills and in how to set up income savings and loan schemes. We may also assist in delivering some HIV/AIDS sessions.

We were lucky enough to be taken along to visit Kentucky, which is situated on the outskirts of Mutare, 5 km from the nearest suburb. Caritas has set up a pipe system to pump water from 4 km away to the farm to allow for sufficient water to grow crops. It is situated in a beautiful area, with great views of the hills which surround Mutare, and it feels like you have left the city behind when you are out there. It was great to get to walk around the majority of the farm, meet the beneficiaries and start to get a feel for how the farm works and the types of crops grown there.

Here are a few pictures of the farm -

 

 

It is going to be a fantastic project and I cannot wait to get started!