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Tendai Rupapa in MARAMBA PFUNGWE

AGRIC4SHE patron Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa came face-to-face with exciting farming projects being run by women in Uzumba and Maramba Pfungwe, producing food, generating income and transferring knowledge within the community.

This comes as Dr Mnangagwa continues with her mission of skills training, thereby empowering women through various projects, including farming across the country.

The First Lady also introduced a detergent-making project for women in Maramba Pfungwe whom she gave starter-packs to kick-start the project.

These are part of measures to reduce idleness, which promotes social ills like prostitution, gossiping and domestic violence.

Importantly, beneficiaries of the projects make meaningful contributions in their households and the national economy.

The First Lady implored those that were trained to share with other community members, the knowledge they got to allow for skills transfer.

Dr Mnangagwa is not leaving any woman behind when it comes to empowerment thereby achieving the true meaning of women empowerment.

One of the women farmers is Gogo Tabitha Ganga, who rears crops and livestock, in an eye-catching manner, which captured the imagination of the First Lady.

Herself an avid farmer with a hands-on approach, Dr Mnangagwa toured projects being done by Gogo Ganga, encouraging other community members to put their hands on the plough and produce for their families and the nation.

Part of the beneficiaries welcome Agric4SHE patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa at Gogo Tabitha Ganga’s homestead in Uzumba where they also received inputs, sweet potatoes and fruit trees

Gogo Ganga’s homestead was selected as one of the farmer field school.

Dr Mnangagwa, together with other farmers and women from the community planted a sweet potato type called German 11 and fruit trees that included guavas, avocados and peaches at the Ganga homestead.

She gave the farmers and women from surrounding communities in Uzumba and Maramba Pfungwe roadrunners for Livestock4She, butternut seed, cowpeas seed, sunflower seed, top dressing, German 11 sweet potato vines which is virus free and has high yield and fruit trees to plant at their homesteads and farms.

In her address in Uzumba, the First Lady implored women to work hard to improve the livelihoods and curb domestic violence arising from the sharing of scarce resources.

“We have come here focusing on women because they are precious. We are reminding one another that women are important and are helpers of their spouses. I am happy that our host has opened her gate for all women in this community to learn from her seeing what she is doing here.

“I also learnt something that I will take wherever I go. As women we were given our part under Agric4She therefore let us work hard and make a name for ourselves. If we work together assisting our husbands, will domestic violence not end in the homes? Let us work, Agric4She is ours, lets show them we can do it,” the First Lady said to applause.

From Uzumba, Amai Mnangagwa proceeded to Maramba Pfungwe where she also interacted with women farmers and other community members.

Men also came to support their spouses.

Agric4SHE patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa plants sweet potatoes in Gogo Tabitha Ganga’s field in Uzumba

The mother of the nation had words of wisdom for the women whom she held an interactive session with.

“I am happy for your attendance so that we plan together in our home. Women, it is our day to rejoice focusing on farming because we are the home builders, the keepers, the helpers. Women are the pillars of food availability in the home.

“They are important and we are happy that the Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture did something that had never happened in this country. It happened in the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa, focusing on Vision 2030 on food security. Agric4she is essential because women build homes and when I was invited to be the patron, I agreed without hesitation because I believe in you.

“We have more than 17 000 women who received inputs under Agric4she since its launch in October last year. I was overjoyed with what I saw at Gogo Ganga homestead where she is farming, doing livestock production and teaching other women enabling them to venture into Agric4she projects with knowledge,” she said.

“What does livestock mean?” the First Lady asked and all the women said it referred to the rearing of animals.”

Asked what poultry means, an elderly woman left the crowd in stitches when she said it referred to the rearing of pigs.

The First Lady corrected her and further educated the women on all the components of Agric4she.

Venturing into these projects, she said, helps transform lives, hence the need for all women to take part.

The First Lady said it was essential to produce traditional grains which were drought tolerant and could thrive in hot conditions which are witnessed in Uzumba and Maramba Pfungwe.

She said there will be competitions for Agric4she for all provinces and urged women to work with this in mind.

Part of the beneficiaries with their sweet potato seeds, fruit trees and other inputs they received from Agric4She patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe last week

Dr Mnangagwa emphasised the importance of planting trees and protecting forests.

Mrs Francisca Makanda (50), a farmer in Pfungwe, Nyakarowa village, shared her journey in the farming business.

“I have cattle, goats, pigeons, pigs, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and crops. I have maize, groundnuts, sunflowers and roundnuts. In the garden I have onions, leaf vegetables and tomatoes. This helps me to send my children to school,” she said.

“I discovered that if I sit on my laurels as a woman, it will be difficult for my husband to go it alone. If as a woman you are involved in farming, you can judge areas of difficulty. My husband complements with management skills.

“I wish to thank our mother, the First Lady for her efforts to empower women which makes us go above and not look down upon ourselves. As women we have everything and give advice as helpers for our husbands. What the First Lady is doing helps men understand us when we engage them is assessing what needs to be done. Most of the times women are at home minding the needs of the household.

“I am the one who sees that such and such a child no longer has clothes and other things. So if I do not have money I cannot meet the demands of the children. I work closely in the farm with my children to avoid them getting into drugs. I do not allow children to sit idly at home or loitering at the township because this is where the drugs challenges begin.”

Gogo Ganga (76) said working hard had enabled her to keep hunger at bay.

“I am farmer here at Chitimbe in Uzumba Ward 15 where I grow maize, groundnuts, tomatoes, vegetables, cabbages, beans so that children eat adequately. I do not want to hear of hunger and I also help the community, we were given that opportunity by our mother,” she said.

“I thank the First Lady for empowering women and assisting them to rise. May she be blessed as she is teaching us good life. Long ago women would just bear children and sit in the kitchen oblivious to the fact that they can do wonders with their hands. Women now rear chickens and goats through Agric4She She also teaches morals as we see her on television giving important lectures to build the nation.”

The detergents that were made by women who were trained and sponsored by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa through her Angel of Hope Foundation in Maramba Pfungwe last week

Minister of State for Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs and Devolution Aplonia Munzverengwi thanked the First Lady for her empowerment programmes.

“Amai you are returning us to our rightful place as we were getting lost in terms of our indigenous dishes. You saw that for someone to eat, they have to work and till the land hence the introduction of Agric4She so that women get into farming with free inputs.

“You saw that for someone to work, they have to be in good health and you gave us an Angel of Hope Foundation mobile clinic to make sure people are screened for various ailments like cervical, breast and prostate cancer among other ailments. I wish to thank you for your deep love as you do not look down at places, you embrace everyone,” she said.

The First Lady, through her Angel of Hope Foundation, offered the detergent making training to ensure women remain gainfully engaged while realising income to cover their daily needs, including paying school fees for their children.

Having a source of regular income also helps fight crime, end drug abuse, child marriages and prostitution, among many challenges affecting communities today.

After the training, the beneficiaries received starter packs and certificates, courtesy of the First Lady.

The First Lady thanked the women for concentrating during the training programme and urged them to use their newfound skills to improve their welfare.

“I brought all that was needed for the beneficiaries to be trained, including starter packs. They will from now on act as trainers for those who did not manage to undergo the training. You girls, this course is not to force people to only buy from you, you are supposed to train others.

“When I come back I want to find many women able to make detergents. You were trained as trainers for the benefit of others. Let us fight to end domestic violence and this business of stressing one another,” the First Lady said.

So happy were the beneficiaries that they broke into song and dance praising Dr Mnangagwa for setting them on the road to success.

Ms Tellme Mari from Chitsungo Village said the training would certainly improve their way of life.

“You have set us on the path to success. We relied on gold panning where we travelled long distances away from home digging the ground as we sought to feed our families, but today you have brought us the chance to work at one station. Thank you Mhamha for remembering Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe,” she said.

Gogo Mebo Mandumbo from Masunzwa Village said detergent making would certainly ease her family’s plight as they previously survived on selling baobab fruits.

“We used to pick baobab fruits for sale and the oil we realised from the baobab seeds, is the oil we used for cooking and as petroleum jelly on our bodies. Because of this new project, all my grandchildren now have access to petroleum jelly which I will be making. I will also sell some of the products and realise income,” she said while brimming with happiness.