COMMUNITY-BASED STRATEGIES IN PROVIDING FOR OVC’S RIGHT TO FOOD SECURITY- THE ‘ZUNDE RAMAMBO” (COMMUNAL FIELD) INITIATIVE

SAHRIT has helped communities in Murewa to resuscitate the traditional concept of the ‘Zunde RaMambo’ or communal field.  The ‘Zunde RaMambo’ is a communal field worked collectively by the community for the benefit of the disadvantaged groups OVC.  It also becomes a bridge building mechanism members of the communities come together to work in the ‘Zunde RaMambo’.  This development is attributed to the training and awareness raised on child rights and the consequent need to protect these rights.

Mobilisation of the community to support activities of the ‘Zunde’ has not been an easy process as initially, some members of the community were reluctant to participate in the initiative suspecting that the village head would misappropriate the harvest from the field and put it to his/her own use.

Communities have however witnessed the equitable distribution of the ‘Zunde’ harvest to orphans and other needy families and this has helped build a trust bank between the communities and their leadership.  In addition, training the leadership on good governance also assisted them in upholding the principles of accountability, transparency, equity and inclusiveness, efficiency and effectiveness in executing their duties.