A large contingent from Zimbabwe Peacebuilding Initiative (ZimPI), Association of Women's Clubs (AWC) and Zimbabwse Information Centre (ZIC) travelled to the Chivinge family farm in north-east Zimbabwe on September 6, 2025. This was a big day trip involving a tour of the farm, a wonderful lunch, and then a community meeting at which AWC and ZIC were presented.
The tour revealed that there are now four operational bores on the farm, compared to just one last year, allowing for expanded production compared to 2024.
Each family has a project. Some young graduates have returned home to run projects. There is still a shortage of capital and water – the piggery and fish farm are not operational. Shortage of water and capital is worse in the wider district. Chris Chivinge, a media worker who is part of the ZimPI Network Team, had also moved to the farm from Harare to provide organisational drive.
The new farming projects include roadrunner chickens, broiler chickens, watermelons, goats, more vegetables.
The families have created a club with nearby villages to pool resources for transporting products to the Mbare market in Harare, a trip of 150 kilometres. They have made a priority of marketing as much as possible in the district and reducing reliance on Mbare.
At the formal meeting after lunch there were about 100 people present, including two workers from Avanos Seeds. The Village Chief, the local AWC, ZimPI and ZIC were introduced.
Chris Chivinge explained to the meeting the concept of a Village Business Unit and the need to continue to develop it even if government programs are not yet helping. He asked the government to provide training. He explained that Avanos Seeds provides advice on what to plant, when to plant, where to market. He asked for more programs and investment from donors.
Senator Sekai Holland explained the role of Chris Chivinge as communications officer in ZimPI. She gave a history of ZimPI, showing its origins in the period of the Global Political Agreement of 2008-13, when the Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration (ONHRI), the Constitution Select Committee of Parliament (COPAC) and the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) which was to oversee the Global Political Agreement, all worked competently and with integrity. She also emphasised the role of the International Solidarity Movement in supporting the liberation struggles in southern Africa including Zimbabwe, in the 1960s-90s. This is the origin of ZIC. She also gave a history of AWC dating back to 1908 and 1938.
Peter Murphy briefly explained that ZIC was committed to support ZimPI, and that its priorities were the anti-sanctions campaign, to support the effort to create the Community Industrial Innovation Parks, and to support the Boy Child Project Partnering with the Girl Child Initiative. He made it clear that ZIC was not a development aid body, not an investor, but rather a grassroots association to support the goals of the liberation struggle to improve the lives of the people of Zimbabwe.
The Village Chief thanked Sekai and ZimPI and ZIC for their campaign. He said that they would keep their projects growing and looked forward to us working with them. He said that with No Unity there is No Development, and said please come back again.
