By Beverly Bizeki
Women from Mwerahari 2 community garden in Buhera are appealing for assistance from government and other stakeholders for a solar-powered borehole as they are fetching water from a single well for watering their horticultural plants in the garden.
Speaking during a community garden meeting organised by TellZim news in commemoration of 2024 World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) at the community garden on May 11, 2024 one visually impaired woman Anna Mukute said the garden was their source of livelihood but their future was bleak as the well dried up before winter due to El Nino.
“We used to rely on this well to water our plants throughout the year. Due to the current El Nino, the well has dried up and we are appealing for help from government and other stakeholders for a solar-powered borehole.
“As you can see I am visually impaired but I have been able to make a living through selling tomatoes and vegetables from this garden hence it is an important source of livelihood for me,” said Mukute.
Councilor Wisdom Jiri highlighted the challenges women and other disadvantaged groups were facing due to the drying up of the well.
“This Mwerahari garden was fenced through the assistance of Cyclone Idai relief funds, however, the money was not enough to sink a borehole and the community has since relied on a well in the garden which is drying up.
“I am appealing to well-wishers who can assist us with a solar-powered borehole to help the women from the ward as well as other disadvantaged groups benefitting from this garden,” said Jiri.
The Village head said the garden was an important source of livelihood in their communities as it was helping a lot of marginalized groups in his village.
“This garden contributed immensely to improving livelihood standards of families from this community including orphans, widows, people with disabilities and women in general.
“The drying up of the well is threatening to affect a number of families since some sold surplus to get money for other basic requirements. I would be grateful to find stakeholders that can extend their hand towards this noble cause to keep the initiative going on,” said the village head.
TellZim News organized the meeting as part of its effort to promote access to information by marginalized communities across the country as part of the ongoing WPFD commemorations under the theme ‘A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of the Environmental Crisis.’
Cyclone Idai was one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect Africa and made landfall in Zimbabwe on March 15, 2019, and the country experienced floods which left a trail of destruction including shelter, lives and livelihoods.
Zimbabwe declared a state of national disaster over the devastating El Nino-induced drought sweeping across most parts of Southern Africa with more than 80 percent of the country said to have received below-normal rainfall.
