Binga youths empowered

 

Canditar Chapanduka, Chronicle Reporter

BASILIZWI Trust and Action Aid non-governmental organizations in BINGA have embarked on a project called Feminist green economy alternatives that is aimed at capacitating youths in Binga through gathering and drying indigenous fruits which grow locally to make Jam.

They gather fruits such as uMnyie and Tamarind or uBusika to make jam. They use100 percent local ingredients and tools to make the jam.

The project started this month and will end in 2025.

It is aimed at complementing the efforts of the government to attain vision 2030 and capacitating young women while also putting a percentage of men in the project.

Basilizwi Trust project officer Mr Pottar Muzamba,

said they realised that most women are oppressed financially and they need projects that could help them in life. So, the organisation brought the project to the youths in Binga District.

“The project is a low-income generating project but with readily available raw materials that they harvest at a cheaper price and add value to them to produce jam,” he said

“They process it through use of firewood, pots and uphehlo. They put a pot on the fire with water and they boil the fruits until they become soft and they will squeeze them so that the juice comes out of the seeds. “When the two separate they will drain the juice with a strainer and throw away the seeds. Moreso, they would put back the juice on fire and they add sugar to it as they stir until it gets thick, producing the Tamarind jam,” he said.

“It is a project that is new to them but so far they are doing very well as we want them to realise that they can make a living from such little projects,” said Mr Muzamba.

He said by the end of the project they expect the youths to be self-sufficient and they will be having monthly meetings to monitor them.

 “There are many projects we could have taken up but we chose projects that are sensitive to climate so that they won’t cause climate change or environmental degradation,” he said.

He the trust also taught the youths how to grow mushrooms so they provided them with the inputs and the seeds for them to start the project.

“We offered them lessons on how to grow mushrooms. Mushrooms are important as they have many health benefits that include combating cancer and diabetes,” said Mr Muzamba.

“It is a project that will benefit the youths by generating fast income for them and their demand is high yet the supply is low. It is a profitable business,” he said.

@NomqheleC

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