Enable 500 Tanzanian youth to feed their families

The irrigated greenhouses that we mentioned in our last report continue to be a great source of wonder here, especially as we are about to harvest their crop of tomatoes.  Eventually we want to expand this production and sell the crop further afield and so are investigating ways of storing them.

Mains electricity came to Zeze in June, and everything is in place to start the food processing plant. We have been expecting the power to be switched on any day since then. Unfortunately today's election has delayed everything, but we are optimistic we will be able to start soon. 

The rains have come now, making travel difficult as the roads and paths turn to mud, but it does mean that we can fill the new fishpond that we have built with water, ready for stocking with 10,000 fish. They will give us an income to plough back into the community, as well as better nutrition for the village when they are ready to harvest in June.

The rain also means that we can plant out the tree seedlings that we have been nurturing since May.  These are a mixture of local indigenous trees for shade and firewood, and fruit trees such as avocado. Some of these trees will be planted at the secondary school to bring them income, particularly to pay for the  science teachers they so desperately need if the students are to have any chance to become the doctors, engineers and teachers they wish to be.  Others will be planted near the fish pond and will eventually host bee hives to help protect the surrounding forest from encroachment.

During the current rainy season everyone is busy planting.  But once they stop agriculture grinds to a halt, as nothing can grow without a reliable water source. Therefore we are setting up irrigation systems with a bore hole linked to  system of ponds and pipes that will allow 80 vulnerable families to grow crops all year round, doubling their crop. This means that their children are at a greatly reduced risk of hunger and should be better able to concentrate and succeed at school.

Thank you again for your support for our community.

With gratitude

Benedicto

The pandemic has uprooted livelihoods all over the world. Life has been hard for everyone and we hope you and your loved ones are staying safe. It has been particularly hard in places like Zeze where people live in extreme poverty without any safety net.

Luckily, helped by our remoteness and vigilance, there have not yet been any COVID-19 cases suspected in Zeze. We have worked hard to educate our community on the need to wash their hands, avoid handshakes, and try to maintain social distancing when they can. In overcrowded households with no running water this is an ongoing challenge. We also worked with Tuheda, a network of Tanzanian doctors to promote accurate health information to counteract the many rumours circulating. They also recommended the best design for fabric face masks which we have trained local tailors to make.

Financial Security

Due to a much appreciated major donation in March, we have strengthened community access to finance by extending our microfinance scheme allowing many more villagers to start their own small business and lift their families out of extreme poverty. Between March and June 2020, we supported 107 families with loans of around $120 to make sure they families can survive through the pandemic by maximising their income from farming so they can purchase their needs such as food, medicine, hand washing facilities, etc.

Joyce is a mother of 3. With our loan she was able to buy better seeds and expand her farming. She says “I was worried that when the world started implementing lockdown my family was going to disappear from the earth because we didn’t have anything to help survive. I am encouraged; the government hasn’t directed us to stay in door. The training and the access to the money from MVG made me take more serious caution against Covid-19 by getting food and money ready for my family to survive and provide more food in the future. I am happy the training and loan are making me more effective and efficient to live better at this worrying time.  

Technical Training

In Zeze there have always been many unskilled and underemployed youth. Therefore we have created employment through technical training in the welding and carpentry workshop. Your donations have allowed us to buy more equipment to expand the workshop. We now employ 27 labourers who can now live with hope through this COVID-19 time.

Nzebele is one of the trainees in welding and carpentry workshop who was previously unemployed. He now designs and makes window frames, doors and other household needs. He says; I now recognise, living without a skill is the key to poverty. I learned and I am able to employ myself and generate income for my family. I appreciate this initiative and I will be the ambassador to others to attend the forthcoming trainings and opportunities to enlighten their future.

Greenhouses built

Your donations have allowed us to build two big greenhouses with water system facilities for vegetables and food production. This is a first for Kasulu district and has caused great excitement in Zeze and beyond.

Luzyama is one of the community members says “we were not aware of such greenhouse structures and it is very real mindset change for us to have one in Zeze. I am amazed by it and am waiting to be the first to eat the products from this greenhouse and the next person to build my own one.

Food Factory set up

One of the reasons Zeze is so poor is that any surplus food such as maize and cassava cannot be processed locally so is sold as raw material, bringing a very low price to the villagers. Therefore MVG has been working for some time to build a local factory and storage scheme so that the community can get their produce processed locally and so benefit more from their labour. Your donations have now helped us buy the machinery needed to set this up.

Njungani is the district community development officer who recently visited Zeze village and visited the projects. He says; I am really impressed with how much Mboni ya Vijana have achieved towards the development of Zeze and how much it has benefitted the community. As the Government we are promoting the industrial economy, this factory which is established here is reflecting the interest of the government. Everyone needs to increase agricultural production because you are having the market in place and I will tell other neighbour village to bring agricultural product here for manufacturing and adding the value for better market. This will help to assure better food security for everyone.

Fuel Efficient Stoves

We are passionate about the need to protect our environment and continue to educate our community on the best ways to do this and mitigate against climate change. Your donations have allowed us to continue our tree planting efforts and start manufacturing improved stoves which require 50% less firewood. We are currently setting up a tree nursery and will be planting over 15,000 indigenous trees during the next major rainy season in October.

We are extremely grateful for your continued support, especially during these difficult times and thank you from everyone in Zeze.