Zimbabwe: New hope and decent work at home

One of the goals of the SoH program is to ensure that those choosing to stay or migrate are better informed and equipped to market their professions and skills, said Ashenafi Haile, LWF Program Executive for Diakonia and Development. During the 25 September-1 October 2023 exchange visit, “we learned that when we use the existing community structures including village chiefs, church congregations, government agencies and other partners, we can reach many beneficiaries,” he noted. Sibanda’s story, he said, is one of the many examples of how the program changes lives for the better.

Skills and influence

Mildred Nkala shared her story. May 2022 was an important month in her life. It was “the first time ever” that she had managed to pay her “children’s school fees in full and on time since they joined primary school in 2016.” Her SoH-supported poultry rearing project that started with 50 broiler chicks generated a profit of USD 280 in six and a half weeks, an achievement she would not have envisioned a year earlier.

A talented dress maker too, Nkala is expanding her business. Her “vision is to buy a sewing machine and start making clothes,” she says, donning a T-shirt with the SoH slogan, “Symbols of Hope - Our hope is our strength.”

She hopes her poultry-rearing skills, and sharing her real-life testimony at SoH Zimbabwe community activities can dissuade other young people from taking on a journey that is fraught with many dangers including sexual exploitation and abuse “[In South Africa] I sometimes failed to even feed myself, because the jobs are hard to get, hence, I decided to return home,” Nkala recalls.

“No” to human trafficking

Communities in Insiza and Chiredzi largely depend on small-scale farming and other agricultural activities, which have become more vulnerable to recurrent droughts and dry spells, frequent crop failure due to pest outbreaks, and loss of livestock to animal diseases. Many young people migrate to South Africa and other countries due to climatic and economic challenges. The SoH program educates, raises awareness, and provides recreational activities to potential and returning migrants.

“No to human trafficking” are some of the messages in English and local languages that SoH disseminates on flyers, posters and banners in public places. In addition, ELCZ congregations continue to serve as meeting points for workshops and training of pastors who offer psychosocial support. Since 2021, over 40 pastors and other personnel from ELCZ and other churches have participated in activities to strengthen the local implementation of SoH’s work.

We hope that churches can help people change their attitudes and behaviors about the importance of having legal documents and following the right procedures and rules when they travel

Ashenafi Haile, LWF Program Executive for Diakonia and Development

Through SoH, “we hope that churches can help people change their attitudes and behaviors about the importance of having legal documents and following the right procedures and rules when they travel,” said Haile. He noted, however, that more work is needed to support returnees who have suffered trauma and require counseling and care. There is also need for stronger partnerships with other groups such as the International Organization for Migration, government law enforcement agencies, and other civil society organizations that share a similar vision.