Zimbabwe, Africa

ZIM03 - Maunga Farm Community Transformation

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Key Partnership Information:

• Partnership Ref.: ZIM03

• Commenced: 14/12/2020

• Funding Status: No Current Donor

• Partnership Type: Community / Agriculture Development, Evangelism / Church Planting, Humanitarian

• Funding Size: $0 - $2,999

• Annual Budget: US$ 5,568

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Current Partnership Impact:

• 52 families are being assisted

• 5 people are in vocational or agricultural training

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Other Partnership Information:

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• Email us about supporting this partnership

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Partnership Overview

Maunga Farm is a poverty stricken area located in Mashonaland, West Province of Zimbabwe, 215km north of Harare. People were resettled here by the government in 2002/2003 but no infrastructure was developed. The nearest school and clinic are 10km away and the nearest town, Karoi, is about 15km away. The community was subdivided into farm plots with an allocation of 6 hectares of agricultural land per each family household and holds about 52 families (approx. 700 people). The people here are therefore peasant farmers and barely make a living in a good year but years of ongoing drought have made life even more difficult. They are considered the lowest and poorest; a remnant, ruined, and reproached. 

Rodwell Masanga and his family have a vision to see this community transformed and plan to move into the area and become agents of change, bringing about holistic development in that place for these people. His desire is to see this community come out of poverty, economically, physically and spiritually. This is underpinned by what Rodwell calls, the four pillars of empowerment:

Relate: Help them learn how to relate to one another in love and work together in unity.

Create: Help them to create solutions with their own resources, teach them the value of their community assets and to dream creatively in the community.

Act: Show them that hard work is a way to honour God, that their skills and abilities are a gift from God and promote the value of people's minds, hearts, hands, and feet. 

Lead: Help them to take ownership of their own transformation, train them to become self-sufficient under God, and raise people out of dependency. 

History of Partnership

Rodwell is an experienced Christian leader and as he travelled extensively around Zimbabwe in this role he became aware of the tremendous needs and poverty. With an eye to the future he and a group of his friends started the organisation knowing that there would be opportunities. They have been operating in a small way with training and assisting people in need. However, with Rodwell's impending retirement from leadership in his church he intends to become involved on the ground and the potential of the organisation can be realised. 

BHW's New Partnership Facilitator has known of Rodwell for some time through his involvement as the country and now international leader of Sowers International (INT02). He first became aware of Rodwell's vision for this community in 2020 as a result of discussions with Sowers International about helping people become self-sustaining. Rodwell comes very highly recommended with a clear strategy for empowering these people amongst whom he intends to live.

Beneficiaries

The 52 families in this community are the direct beneficiaries of this partnership. They are peasant farmers who rely mainly on agricultural farming and are totally dependent on rainwater for their livelihood. Their plight has been worsened by a two-year consecutive drought which hit most parts of Zimbabwe and caused many water sources to dry up.

Most people in the community are unbelievers and are involved in African traditional religions and other false sects. Christianity is less than 15%. Most of their entertainment is derived from beer drinking, sexual activity, informal football, and traditional dances like Nyawu dances. Most young people "marry" in their teenage years. 

What We Like About The Partnership

We have known Rodwell through Sowers International for many years and he comes with an outstanding reputation as a leader.
He is going to be living in the community, not at a distance.
There is a holistic approach being developed that deals with the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the people.
This is a very needy community, the type of people we are called to serve. 

 

Key People 

Rodwell Masanga

Rodwell was born in 1960, in Karoi, Zimbabwe, in a family of eight boys and one girl. Their mother was a devout Christian who brought them up knowing how to live and serve God. It was through her influence that her husband, a staunch traditionalist, eventually was converted. Five of her nine children, Rodwell being one of them, became involved in fulltime pastoral work.   

Rodwell married Enicia in 1983, and they have five children, three boys and two girls who are all actively involved in serving the Lord in the church ministry. 

Rodwell sensed a burden to serve the Lord fulltime in his early teenage years and he and Enicia trained at The Evangelical Theological College from 1985-88 and were commissioned and ordained in The Evangelical Church of Zimbabwe where they have served the Lord in various offices and portfolios.  

Rodwell became engaged with Sowers International in 1993 and was trained to Level 2. Since then he has served as a Board Member, Vice Chairman, Board Chairman and currently is President of Sowers International. During his involvement with the Sowers program and tenure of offices he has witnessed hundreds of people come to declare their faith in Christ and many thriving churches planted.  

Currently Rodwell and Enicia are serving a second and final term of office as Bishop of Dayspring Church. This position entails overseeing the church ministry work in Zimbabwe. Once this term is finished in mid-late 2021 they intend to relocate to Maunga Farm.   

Other People Involved

The two most active, other key people are: 

Philip Mukandi is 36 years old and is married to Abagail. They have a son, Princley Anodiwa, and daughter, Adore Panodamoyo. In 2007 he graduated with a Bsc. Hons. Degree in Agriculture (Crop Science) from the University of Zimbabwe. He is a professional agronomist with hands on experience in the production of horticultural and major field crops. He also has quality experience in the organising, monitoring, evaluation, development and running of farmer training programmes. His major experience is in practical training and advising of both small scale and large scale farmers and extension workers on crop and animal production sustainable technologies, running farming as a business, good agricultural practices and agricultural marketing strategies. He worked in education and the commercial sectors until 2015. He currently works as a volunteer Associate Pastor with True Vine Ministries International Church in Harare. He also does agricultural consultancy to farmers and prospective agricultural clients as a private consultant. 

Rodwell officiated at their wedding and says that they are a wonderful couple and effective in serving the Lord.  

Anxious Hwingwiri is married to Lorina. They have two children, Tinotenda a son and Tinodaishe, daughter. Anxious has a Master of Business Administration from the National University of Science and Technology (2018) and a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Zimbabwe (2007). He has worked in various roles but is currently the General Manager of a veterinary services company. He is responsible for the management and running of 40 veterinary retail outlets countrywide.  

Apart from having a responsible job he and his wife are actively involved in marriage ministry and have authored a few books on the subject.   

 

Vision And Annual Strategy

Vision 

To develop and rebuild the Maunga community using a biblical model for community transformation.

Strategy 

The strategy is for Rodwell and his family to move into the community towards the end of 2021 and become agents of change. They have already engaged, have a piece of land there and visit regularly. There are a number of components to their strategy:
1) To put in a borehole to provide an adequate water supply for household and small agricultural use (mid 2021).
2) To build strong teams in the community with common goals.
3) To choose a project for each team like gardening, animal husbandry, chicken rearing (broilers, free rangers, layers) crops (corn, soya beans, sugar beans etc) and develop these projects with expert trainers and mentors. Key people will be sent to train with Foundations for Farming (February 2021).
4) There are many traumatised and hurting people in the community and they will be assisted with counselling.
5) To develop a thriving Christian community in the area. 

This is a 3-year plan that should see people, at least those who buy into it, become self-sustaining. 

 

Annual Budget 

The 2021 budget is US$5,940 which will:
- send three key people to Foundations for Farming training in Harare (US$2,640)
- put in a borehole (US$3,300)

In subsequent years there will be other development options, each around US$4,000, but the final details of these are not entirely clear at this stage. It will depend on the outcome of some of the decisions made in previous years and the timing of certain events. See Partnership Reports for details of these.