LOCATED in ecological regions 4 and 5, and receiving average to below average rainfall, Mushandike village in Masvingo was also not spared from the El Niño-induced drought.
Grace Mapinga (64) from Village 15 in Mushandike had resigned herself to fate as a poorly rainy season took away all the hope she had.
For some time, she was trying to figure out how to feed her orphaned grandchildren whom she takes care of.
“I felt that was the end of the road for me and my little ones as we had nowhere else to get food from,” she said.
They struggled but soldiered on, sometimes sleeping on an empty stomach and surviving on a single meal per day.
Mapinga was not alone in this predicament.
She was one of many victims of the government’s failure to address 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reduce poverty.
According to the United Nations, “eradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. While the number of people living in extreme poverty dropped by more than half between 1990 and 2015, too many are still struggling for the most basic human needs.”
As luck would have it, Mapinga managed to join her local farming club called Takunda, which constitutes 10 members.
She is one of the two widows in the scheme.
They joined the winter wheat farming programme facilitated by AFC Bank, where they were provided with inputs which were to be paid for after harvesting.
“I joined the programme as a last resort. We were living in hunger and I was now out of money to pay for school fees for my three grandchildren. We had no hope for the future as no one helps us,” she said.
Their luck came in the form of adequate water from the government’s and United Nations Development Programme’s Mushandike irrigation scheme, which draws water from Mushandike dam.
Mapinga managed to harvest a significant amount of wheat.
“I managed to pay fees for my grandchildren recently. The other part of the proceeds after paying back the bank has been sustaining us,” she said.
“We now have enough to eat and some to share with the less fortunate ones.”
Mapinga and her group utilised Goal 13, which focuses on climate action as they made use of climatic adaptation strategies to turn their fortunes around.
Supporting vulnerable regions will directly contribute not only to Goal 13, but also to the other SDGs.
These actions must also go hand-in-hand with efforts to integrate disaster risk measures, sustainable natural resource management and human security into national development strategies.
The group’s action can be equated to Goal 11, which focuses on sustainable cities and communities.
They made use of available resources to sustain themselves.
For Ireen Matingwina, another member of the same irrigation scheme, water supply has made it possible for them to do their farming activities without hindrance.
“We are able to do our farming throughout the year and this has enabled us to overcome our challenges as we are earning something and managing to put food on the table,” she said.
Like Mapinga, several SDGs have helped her to sail through.
Proud Mhosva, the secretary for Takunda Farmers Group, said: “We rely on Mushandike Dam which when full, can last us up to three years.
“If not, like the case this year, it can last us up to a year. Takunda Group is grateful to the government and partners who have made it possible for us to find solutions to our problems.
“We no longer have children stranded at home over fees. We are now managing to feed our families among other things.”
The 847,5 hectare Mushandike Irrigation Scheme has helped over 565 community members drawn from 11 villages to adapt to changing climate since its establishment in 1986.