Smart Partnership
SMART PARTNERSHIPS AND INVESTMENTS
Vision And Goals
The overall vision is empowerment and resilience in the face of shocks, be they economic, social or environmental. This model with its principal goals of nutrition and income, allows families to take control, to build their own sense of empowerment and resilience. It is through the double tasks of assessment, water control, soil health plant and animal management and yearly planning that will build resilient gardens and families are able to respond to the climate and economic shocks that will surely come.
Vision
Empowerment and resilient families improving the quality of their own lives through improved access and utilization of nutritious food.
Goals
Seed Saving -Encouraging to grow small grains such as Mhunga, Mapfunde and Zviyo to help combat drought issues caused by climate change.
How the model works
What is the rationale for this approach? Why do we need to shift away from large scale, capital-intensive, agricultural techniques? Why do we need a climate-responsive method that anyone can use to achieve family nutrition security? These are self evident, yet complex questions. Our task as agents of change is to answer them simply: we need an alternative method because, frankly speaking, neither the marginalized families of the world, nor their local environments, can afford NOT to take the new approach. In this era of severe climate change, extreme poverty and chronic communicable disease, all methods introduced must be proactive and responsive, rather than reactive and dependency inducing. It is the extremes of weather, the unknown timing of previously dependable cycles: the devastating floods: the long dry periods during the rainy season; the odd rains during the dry season: and the ever decreasing available land due to overpopulation that demand our finding a new approach.
The families are supported in kind to bring long term solutions to drought, famine and starvation. The Hub (Fishers Foundation) collaborating with Smart Partnerships and Smart Investments from like minded people or organizations will have the sole responsibility to do the following among other things.:
The families in turn have a great responsibility ~ it hinges on the families' participation, their honesty and integrity and pride that this model depends. Participating families will be required to do the following inter alia
Mrs. Chawanda in her garden showing Sylvia how to weed and take care of tomatoes
It is imperative to note from the onset that the model advocates for a paradigm shift on the part of the families being assisted and by the assisting parties. The dependence on donor aid every other year when there is poor yield and natural disaster should be a thing of the past by now in Africa if there was a desired shift. The old saying, do not give me fish but teach me how to fish should have meaning and significance in the Domboshava Community. The model proposed here wants to liberate people, restore the dignity we have. Instead of children saying that they went to school because of a donor or bursary but to be proud that the parents sent him or her to school. Thus the integrity of parenthood is regained and maintained.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
The basic requirement is that a family should try by all means to harvest rain water at their individual homes. Where possible a combined rain water harvester is put for the community to use and also for animals.
The families will be given seed, chickens and or rabbits which they keep and give back some say 2 or 3 chickens so that other families can benefit. This will have a business model where they sell their chickens at the markets that are there every month in almost all rural district council areas.
The communities will be trained on the value of organic foods and encouraged to a different mindset concerning healthy eating.
The hub will create a business model to market the products at home and abroad. The Diaspora family which needs these products will have suppliers. This is going to be a win-win situation. Familiy2Family (F2F) model will develop to be a best practice.
IMPLEMENTATION STRUCTURES
The Hub > the people that are mobilizing resources and ideas for F2F, this is the co-coordinating team that ensures that the wheel moves and produces results.
From the Hub the spoke goes to the targeted community. The targeted community will be led by a family representative be a best practice.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY IN THESE STRUCTURES
- Training and capacity building > people who meet a prescribed criteria will be identified and mobilized for the training in various aspects of the intervention. The model calls for a tailor made in-house training that meets the specific needs of the participating communities.
- Criteria for training participants > should be a resident of that community to show commitment to the development of the community, there should be someone already doing something along the targeted areas or someone who is willing to do something. It is preferable that women take the lead since most of them are not likely to migrate. If it’s a man, we must be rest assured that he won’t abandon the project.
- Incentives > people who will undergo training to lead others in the village will have incentives in form of helping them set up a demo of what they have learnt at their houses .That is seeds, fence {if need be } and maybe working tools or safety clothes.
- Field shows > as a way of encouraging others, field shows will be done regularly and probably some prizes given to best performers.
- Value addition > the produce will have to be processed to add value. For instance, vegetables will be sold fresh, dried, bottled or canned.
- Marketing > the whole process will be modeled in a business model so that the excess from the produce can be sold to increase the family disposable income. With the rising need for organic foods, the communities producing the same product in quantity will team up to meet the needs of customers such as Payne Fruit Wholesalers.
PARTICIPATING COMMUNITIES ARE:
CHIKWAKA, MUREHWA, BARE, CHIDHAKWA, CHIKOKONYA, CHOGUGUDZA, MOLIFE, NYAKUDYA AND SHAMU VILLAGES
Some of the families in the above communities have been adversely affected by poverty and HIV/AIDS. Food insecurity is inextricably linked to the spread of HIV and poverty. Hungry people may turn to unsafe practices in order to feed themselves a poor diet and are generally angry people. People with poor nutrition are unable to engage in normal livelihood activities, including field agriculture, thus threatening the nutritional and economic security of themselves and their families.
Within the context of climate change, economic downturns and insecure land tenure, especially amongst women and the rural and peri-poor thus this situation becomes even more acute. The containing goals of this project are to provide for all vulnerable families. We appreciate Smart Partnerships and Investments in our projects instead of Donor help which is just a Band Aid to the problem; a bag of food will only last a few days and the begging bowls come out again whereas self sufficiency builds empowered happy communities. Partners can track directly how their investment is being utilized and create mutual business partnerships.