Mwoyo sits in his classroom, completing his agriculture quiz. His mind wanders to the family garden, which he waters each afternoon. When he walks to the school bus, he looks to the sky. It hasn’t rained for a long time.
He’s not discouraged because he has a borehole. And his family knows how to farm to maximise their water source.
Relief and Development partner Khayelihle Children’s Village (KCV) is in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It is a region with some of the most erratic rainfall patterns in the country. Despite this challenge, the KCV farm continues to harvest vegetables. Through family gardens, children like Mwoyo receive healthy meals every day.
KCV has six hectares of farmland. Six boreholes irrigate two hectares, and four hectares are rain-fed. Because of the inconsistent rainfall, KCV started practising conservation farming last year. Good results have come from the maize crop, and the family gardens have produced various vegetables. These crops help provide a nutritious diet for the children.
The children living in the village enjoy participating in the farming process. There are five houses, and each home group maintains its family garden.
“I water our family garden regularly. This has taught me to be responsible,” said one child. The most important changes for me at the village have been the installation of water tanks and solar geysers at every house.” This makes storing water during drought and carrying water to the gardens in buckets easier.
“It has provided us many butternuts, leafy vegetables, tomatoes and maize. It has enabled us to eat more vegetables such as okra, kale, tomato and onion. This protects us from diseases,” said another child.
Not only does the farm provide vegetables for the children, but it has a high potential for profit. They could sell their produce at the local markets and reinvest the profits into the village. In recent years, the village has started raising chickens to help supplement their grocery budget; another brood is being raised now. They also sell the milk produced by their dairy cows.
Thembe Mbambo, the Donor Child Sponsorship Relations Officer at KCV, shared hope for the enterprise. “There is anticipation that with the newly hired business manager, Lloyd, the farm will perform well and begin to generate money.” She reported that Lloyd has many ideas for “revamping the farm and launching new initiatives.”
The children and team at KCV appreciate your support as they continue to move towards self-sufficiency.
Mrs Vuma, former KCV Director, shared how your support is important to reaching their goal, explaining that self-sufficiency will be made easier with the “safety net of long-term support.”
The new KCV Business Director, Mr Mbonisi Mabhena, will assist KCV further with the farming projects. He has broad financial and managerial experience and can help with future endeavours. This includes developing a new business plan and initiatives to engage young adults without family connections or relatives who are still living at KCV.
At Khayelihle Children’s Village, children are creating a better future. Thank you for your continued support of vulnerable children like Mwoyo. They have a home full of people who support their health and education and provide a safe and loving place to live with purpose.
Learn more about Khayelihle Children’s Village