Social commentators warn that if not appropriately addressed, this issue is likely to assume proportions of unprecedented magnitude.

Enter Mwana Wevu/Children of the Soil, a locally based organisation that seeks to empower youths from such families through skills training and afford them the opportunity to obtain gainful employment as a result.

Field Correspondent Lewis Jones, (L.J) recently had the opportunity to meet and speak to Elizabeth Vimbai Mhangami, (E.V.M), who is the Project’s director. Below may be found excerpts of that conversation.

L.J. What is Mwana Wevu/Children of the Soil about?

E.V.M. It is a community based Trust which was set up in order to serve youths who head households.

L.J. Of note is the fact that MW/COTS utilises premises at Abilities, a series of income generating sheltered workshops for the physically challenged. May one assume that your organisation prescribes to the Abilities concept that aspires to the social and financial enablement of less able people?

E.V.M. That is correct. Just as is the case with Abilities, we seek to assist the disadvantaged by enabling them to be self sufficient and to play a useful role in society. The only difference is that whereas Abilities focuses on the physically challenged, MW/COTS concentrates upon orphans, who, through unforeseen circumstances, have had the responsibility of heading a family, thrust upon them.

L.J. In what manner does MW/COTS go about achieving its goal of appropriately empowering the youth concerned?

E.V.M. At present the youths receive skills training in candle production and bee-keeping. The idea is to transform the project into a “for profit” enterprise, which in turn should provide salaries for participants, thereby fulfilling the concept of opening employment opportunities to the youths in question. Initially, the plan is that the programme should run for five years. At the onset participants would receive training intended to inculcate in them a sense of security and stability, thereafter progressing on to their acquisition of appropriate production method skills and business acumen. It is envisioned that by the programmes conclusion, MW/COTS would have evolved into a self sustainable, profit making entity that gives support to the organisation’s social responsibilities, besides generating income for the youths.

L.J. For how long has your organisation been in existence?

E.V.M. It’s ten years since we started out. The idea was hatched while I attended university in the United States of America. At the time, I was inspired to be of assistance to struggling youth at home in Zimbabwe and that is when the whole idea of setting up MW/COTS came about.

L.J. How is business progressing?

E.V.M. Things could be better. Right now the work force is comprised of twenty youths, with ages that range between fourteen and twenty two years, the gender ratio being two thirds female. The production line has a capacity to produce 364 candles per hour and there are presently twenty operational bee-hives. Through our project, several child headed families are receiving essential resource support, although outside assistance would be most welcome in order for this to be made sustainable.

L.J. Can you describe the sort of challenges the organisation is faced with?

E.V.M. There are several, though I’ll mention two of them. The task of identifying any individual, who leads a child headed household, can be extremely difficult and thankless. It calls for much research and patience. Then of course there is the question of adequate funding. This, as you might know, is a common challenge that exists among many charitable organisations.
L.J. What impact has MW/COTS had on the community?

E.V.M. It has highlighted the plight of isolated groups, such as child headed families, while helping to dispel the commonly held notion that depicts youths as undisciplined. Training we have given has largely enabled young people such as these, to avoid the stigma of dependency. Our intervention has demonstrated that youths, and orphans in particular, are able to contribute to society in a manner that is positive. An excellent example of this is the occasion when young people from our organisation voluntarily painted the interior of the Nketa Community Hall, in a show of their commitment to the society among whom they live.

L.J. Does your organisation have plans for the future?

E.V.M. At the end of the next five years, we plan to produce our first graduates, some of whom we hope will be absorbed by the profit making entity I mentioned earlier. It is envisaged that others would have by then been able to set up their own prosperous businesses, thereby becoming employers in their own right. In the overall picture, it is our intention to firmly establish an unmistakable foot-print in local society, and throughout the nation.

L.J. How would you describe your relationship with ZDDT?

E.V.M. It is excellent. We were introduced to Simon Spooner from ZDDT, by Johnny Karasava, a local businessman. Simon and his team have ever since been most helpful. It is through ZDDT thoughtful intervention, that we were able to secure and settle in the premises from which we currently operate.