NATIONAL Foods Limited has successfully empowered several vulnerable groups in Plumtree with a unique initiative aimed at eradicating poverty and stemming the tide of youth migration to neighbouring countries such as Botswana and South Africa.
The development was revealed during a tour of the Galaupole Training Centre in Ndiweni ward, where the National Foods, working with ORAP, constructed a 1 000 fowl runs of layer hens.
Community Foundation for the Western Region of Zimbabwe programmes manager Sithabile Ndlovu expressed gratitude to the food giant for assisting the communities in Plumtree.
“In October 2023, National Foods and the Community Foundation for the Western Region of Zimbabwe partnered to do a youth empowerment programme,” she said.
“We started with a series of trainings that we did across Mat South and Mat North. We impacted seven districts which are Nkayi, Beitbridge, Matopo, Gwanda, Bubi, Bulilima and Mangwe.
“The initiative is aimed at empowering young people by providing access to education, skills training, mentorship and resources that enable them to have the tools they need to be self-sustainable community leaders and members of the community.”
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Ndlovu said they were trying to ensure that people have practical skills and have money to run their homes while eradicating poverty in the communities.
“So we currently have a thousand layers and they are aimed at benefiting young people. We allow young people to come in, so everyone has got a day where they come in and clean after that they get two trays of eggs,” she said.
“We then sell each tray at US$3 to them and they get to sell them at US$4 or US$5 and take the profits while they give us back US$3.”
Ndlovu said there was need to empower young people so that they do not migrate to other countries.
“I think a lot of people may agree with me that there is a lot of low self-esteem among young people, especially from our region and a lot of people feel like the only way out is to be able to go to South Africa,” she said.
National Foods head of stock feeds Southern Region manager Raymond Mhona said young people were migrating to the neighbouring countries where there was no future at all.
“I hope we will develop, grow and sustain this project for the benefit of the future of our youths. I have been in uMzingwane and their main problem is the same, youths are going to South Africa and they are leaving old people who cannot manage some of the projects that even ORAP has done there,” he said.
“It is quite a humbling experience that you are trying to harness them and you’re trying to work with them here because as you rightly said across the border there is no more future for these people and we want to thank you for making this happen.”