Climate Action Zimbabwe Project #62468

Empower refugees in Zimbabwe to plant 50,000 trees

by Refugee Coalition for Climate Action

Empower refugees in Zimbabwe to plant 50,000 trees

Project Report | Mar 5, 2026
A Former Dumping Site Transformed

By Gawaar Juich | Project Leader

Jean Dukudimana picking eggplants from her garden

In Tongogara Refugee Settlement, Zimbabwe, Refugee Coalition for Climate Action (RCCA) has transformed land that used to receive solid waste from the local market as a dumping site into a community garden run by RCCA that now fills the refugee market with fresh vegetables and other crops like groundnuts.

The project started in October 2025 and is still running, and it is run by 10 RCCA team members, including 5 girls and 5 men, who work together to cultivate vegetables and manage the community garden.

The refugee-led organization team members learned this organic agroforestry initiative and put it into practice on the ground. In a very organic way, the members started cultivating vegetables such as okra, carrots, onions, tomato, green pepper and chilli pepper, garlic sombe, pumkin, sweet potatoes, and crop like groundnuts and other leafy greens alongside fruit trees.

The garden currently covers 0.5 hectare. The team members have now grown more than what they can eat at the household level and have begun selling the surplus, and more than 20 households benefit every week from access to fresh vegetables. This project complements household nutrition and opens opportunities for youth engagement in sustainable food production.

Young people like Jeannine Dukundimana own a small vegetable garden at RCCA's nursery site, where she grows eggplants and okra, and this is where her family gets fresh vegetables.

RCCA members’ long-term vision is to expand the nursery site into an hectare and scale up vegetable production so they can become a key supplier of fresh vegetables in the refugee community, where fresh vegetables typically disappear after the rainy season due to limited access to water for community backyard gardeners growing them.

Mama Marie picking groundnut at RCCA Nursery Site

Sweet Potatoes lurching at the RCCA Nursery Site

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Jeannine Picking some vegetables

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Oct 27, 2025
Empowering Action of Refugees & Their Hosts (EARTH

By Gawaar Juich | Project Leader

Tree planting at the RCCA nursery site

Thanks to the financial contribution from GlobalGiving donors, our 800m² nursery has been completed. This nursery is not only a tool for community development but also a sustainable path for young people within the Refugee Coalition for Climate Action (RCCA) who plan to transform this initiative into a business model.

The nursery has a carrying capacity of between 25,000 and 30,000 seedlings. RCCA plans to raise both fruit and non-fruit trees for sale, alongside vegetables and herbs. This will create income opportunities for youth while promoting environmental protection and food security within the refugee community. The next stage, which is seedling production, will depend on continued financial support to kickstart operations.

Transforming a Former Dumpsite into a Green Hub

After completing the nursery, RCCA carried out site clearance in the surrounding area. This location had been used as a community dumping site, including the very place where the nursery now stands. The transformation of this area motivated the Tongogara Refugee Camp Authority to give RCCA a dilapidated building close to the nursery, which the organization has requested to source fund for renovation.

The nursery and building area cover a perimeter of 250 meters. A total of 130 trees have already been planted at the sitee to improve the landscape and create a greener environment.

Creating Space for Growth and Learning

With small additional donations, RCCA hopes to renovate the donated building to serve as a multi-purpose community space. The plan is for the building to host four RCCA offices, a hall for computer training, a power room, and a store room.

This would mark an important step for a young refugee-led organization that continues to make the most of limited resources to support environmental protection and youth empowerment.

Looking Ahead

The Empowering Action of Refugees & Their Hosts (EARTH) initiative reflects the ongoing effort of RCCA to build resilience and opportunity through sustainable community projects. With continued support from GlobalGiving and donors, RCCA aims to begin full seedling production and expand income-generating activities for refugee youth and host communities.

RCCA Nursery

The dilapidated building given to RCCA

RCCA tree planting on the 20/10/2025

RCCA young ambassador planting a tree

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RCCA X is regularly updated

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Jun 13, 2025
Young Refugees building their food autonomy

By Gawaar Juich | Project Leader

Over the past three months, thanks to the generous financial support of GlobalGiving donors and the additional gratitude fund awarded to the Refugee Coalition for Climate Action (RCCA) as the Project of the Month Club, our work has continued to make a meaningful impact on environmental protection and resilience building within the Tongogara Refugee Settlement in Zimbabwe.

Agroforestry and Food Security Initiative

Refugees in the Tongogara Refugee Settlement are increasingly facing the injustices brought about by climate change. High temperatures, persistent drought, and stronger winds across seasons are having devastating impacts on refugee lives and livelihoods.

Our response as a grassroots organization is building resilience thanks to the generous support from GlobalGiving donors. Over the past two months, RCCA has initiated an agroforestry project within our community orchard at St. Michael’s Secondary School within the Refugee Settlement.

Through this project, vegetables such as okra, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, and other leafy greens are being cultivated alongside fruit trees. This has already allowed eight young refugees to provide fresh vegetables to their households. Our project complements household nutrition and unravels opportunities for youth engagement in sustainable food production.

Our long-term vision is to expand the orchard and scale up vegetable production. We hope to be a key supplier of fresh vegetables in our community. This is important because fresh vegetables in Tongogara typically disappear after the rainy season due to limited access to water for community backyard gardeners growing them.

Nursery Expansion and Reforestation Efforts

The combined support of the GlobalGiving Project of the Month Fund and GlobalGiving’s donor community has also been crucial in supporting the expansion of our nursery garden to 800 square meters where we aim to raise 25,000–30,000 seedlings annually. This projection will ensure that half of these seedlings support reforestation efforts within the refugee settlement and surrounding host communities. The other half — primarily grafted fruit trees — will be sold to generate income for youth, with a focus on empowering girls and young women working with RCCA.

Through these collective initiatives, RCCA remains steadfast in our commitment to promoting food security, climate resilience, and environmental protection within the Tongogara Refugee Settlement.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our donors and supporters for making these vital projects possible.

Together, we can promote meaningful refugee participation in the communities where they seek refuge!

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Project showcased on RCCA's Twitter page

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