3-H Grant in Zimbabwe
ROTARY 3-H GRANT COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT PROJECT IN ZIMBABWE
Links to Updates:   September 2010 July 2010 February 2010 November 2009
Zimbabwe is one of the most embattled countries in the world, with inflation rates in the millions, food production and other industry slowed to a crawl, and the impact of HIV/AIDS throughout all segments of the population.  But it is a country of people with resilience and courage, rich in Rotarians who are dedicated and determined.    Rotary clubs in Harare, in District 9210, have partnered with District 5450 clubs since 2003 through Rotary Matching Grants.  These grants have supported HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention projects in Mufakose, a densely populated district in the city of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.   These projects were, at their core, training programs, focused on specific groups: community leaders, families dealing with the chronically ill, disengaged youth.  Facilitated with the help of the Institute of Cultural Affairs in Zimbabwe (ICA Zimbabwe), these Rotary projects helped participants develop practical solutions to the problems they faced.    In 2007, a team of Rotarians and others visited Mufakose to complete a community assessment, interviewing 340 people in five densely populated suburbs in the district.  Young, old, male, female, orphaned or caring for their grandchildren, the community expressed a consistent and urgent response. The problems: Lack of income generation was consistently the biggest concern. AIDS continued to affect most families, often putting youths at the head of the household. Young people were disengaged from the community, frequently turning to risky behavior. Willingness to be tested for HIV/AIDS was minimal because of the view |that an HIV positive result was a death sentence.     Rotarians in Harare and Denver collaborated on developing an ambitious program to address these problems, building on the success of the previous Rotary projects in Mufakose.  These projects were based on the belief that community level efforts are the most viable, sustainable and cost effective strategy for assisting HIV/AIDS affected children and families, building a core group of leaders to help the community develop practical and tangible strategies to deal with the economic and social effects of HIV/AIDS.   This program delivers training in groups of no more than 25 people at a time, using training methodologies that engage the attendees and create a high level of participation.  The program will provide, over a four-year period, training and follow-up support for over 4,000 people in the communities of Mufakose.  Women and youth will get intensive training, weekly follow-up, and small grants to help them develop economically sustainable businesses. Participants will receive active guidance and mentoring from Rotarians who will follow their progress and monitor their success.  People who are HIV positive will be trained in ways to live more comfortably with their disease. The program has been developed and will be documented so that it can be replicated in other areas throughout Africa and the rest of the developing world. Aspects of the grant include: Training and monitoring to create 128 women's self-help economic groups, mentored by Rotarians in Harare. Creation of 64 youth groups, also trained and mentored by Rotarians in economic skills and leadership. Creation of 20 Youth Resource Centers, some with computer and Internet availability, and training of 480 youths in both economic and management skills to run the Centers.   Training of volunteers who are HIV positive to lead 72 "Living Well" support groups, comprised of other HIV positive community members. HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention training as a key element in each of these training modules.  This undertaking will directly impact 4,000 people, and its effect will spread to at least 80,000 people in the community.  It will create cohesive groups that work together, save together and create partnerships that will enable them to leverage their assets, however limited, into moneymaking endeavors.  It will require the participation of dozens of Rotarians in Harare and the support and active efforts of international Rotarians to find markets and create worldwide publicity for the successes in Zimbabwe.     The need in Zimbabwe is great and the opportunity to be a key instrument in the rejuvenation of the country is now.  Join the Rotary Clubs of Highlands in Zimbabwe and Denver Mile High in Colorado to create a powerful demonstration of Rotary's ability to transform a community by creating collaboration among local and international Rotarians, local residents, the local government and an effective cooperating organization.
Responses to The Rotary Foundation initial questions will be submitted on October 15, 2008.  If the Grant request moves forward,  The Rotary Foundation will send a team of evaluators to visit Zimbabwe and assess the prospects for the Grant.  The Trustees of the Foundation will make their decision in April 2009.

Update:  November 2009

The Greatest Thing Since Independence   Rotary Clubs in District 5450, District 7120 and District 9210 in Zimbabwe jointly are sponsoring a Rotary 3-H Grant in Zimbabwe. I just returned from the launch of that grant in Harare, the country’s capital and wanted to share with you the incredible power of Rotary, even in a difficult country like Zimbabwe.   I was privileged to participate in the Launch of the Grant—Community Empowerment in Zimbabwe—on October 3. There were 2,000 people attending, including the Governor and Mayor, local government officials, 20 Harare Rotarians, three US Rotarians, and a former Rotary District Governor. The Social Services Coordinator said it may have been the greatest happening since Independence.   The Prime Minister Mr. Morgan R. Tsvangirai and the Minister of Health and Social Services had planned to attend as well, but they were called away for a Cabinet meeting at the last moment. PM Tsvangirai’s speech, read by the Governor, emphasized the Rotary connection and the importance of this project in both the local community and throughout all of Zimbabwe.   The impact of the 3-H Grant, which addresses Health, Hunger and Humanity, will be huge. Over 4,000 people will be trained in 3 _ years, with programs for women’s and youth’s economic groups, Youth Resource Centers, and self-management for people living with HIV/AIDS. But the Grant provides so much more: a structure and ongoing training that will gradually transfer operational responsibility from the Grant to the community. By providing both the skills and the structure to the participants, the Grant will create a self-sustainable program.   An important element of this Grant is the active participation of the Harare Rotary Clubs. There are seven Harare Clubs actively involved with the Grant, and the Zimbabwe Grant Committee oversees the training provided by ICA Zimbabwe, as well as the Project Officers and the Program Coordinator. This Committee also manages the $330,000 in Grant funds from The Rotary Foundation.   One of the most exciting parts of the Grant is the Zimbabwe Rotarian Mentors. During our trip, we worked with two local Rotarians who will coordinate at least 30 Rotarians who will act as mentors to each of the Self Help Groups. These Rotarians will be advisors and coaches for the groups, helping the groups identify products or services that will be profitable for them. Considering the shifting economy in Zimbabwe, there can be no more savvy people to help the groups than Rotarian businessmen and women. And they are so excited about the chance to participate in this incredible opportunity. One of the local Rotarians has taken on the role of Market Advisor to both track the economic enterprises of each Group and work with businesses to connect the Groups to potential new opportunities.   There are many elements that need to come together to make a project like this work. We have worked with the Harare Rotarians to create a Trust that will administer the Grant, develop detailed budgets and payment processes, develop a base-line questionnaire to collect data for eventual tracking of the impact of the Grant, and tailor training material to meet the specific purposes of the project. We participated in Committee meetings for PR, Monitoring, Evaluation, Finance and Operations. We met with the Marketing Committee to develop a consistent message for all Grant communications to maximize awareness and understanding of the Grant.   While we were in Harare, we interviewed more than 30 people about the Grant and its elements—past and potential participants, trainers, Rotarians, administrators. We visited the Grant sites, met some trainers and the Project Officers who will monitor the activity on the ground. We visited five Rotary Clubs and made a presentation about the Grant to each one. At every Club members spoke to us afterwards and said how much they appreciated our efforts and that they wanted to be a part of the process.   The partnership between the Rotarians in Colorado, New York and Harare is amazing. We are working as a team and somehow it is all coming together. The training started the first week in November; every participant had a training manual and was eager to get started. 24 Self Help groups have been created; in December four Youth Corners, outfitted with trained young men and women, computers and other equipment, will begin operating.     There were so many wonderful moments during the two weeks we were there. One of the best happened after the meeting about the mentors. One of the Rotarians, DJ, said to us: "You come so far, all the way from the US, and immediately go to the high density neighborhoods where the project will happen. These are places where many of us who live in Harare are nervous to go. Your willingness, your determination--this completely inspires us. It makes so many of us want to be fully engaged as well."   The strongest message that the Rotarians in Harare sent back with us was to bring more Rotarians. They are great hosts and love this visible evidence of our support for them and belief in the project. Please contact Carolyn Schrader at ilgirasole@earthlink.net for more information about how you can take a trip to Zimbabwe to work on the Grant.   [All photos taken by and © R. E. Springer.  All rights reserved.]

Update:  February 2010

Update:  July 2010

Update:  September 2010