Beitbridge women use poverty relief funds to start thriving businesses

Jacqueline Mbedzi’s face lights up when she talks about how she built her thriving business from monthly payments under a programme meant to alleviate poverty among Zimbabwe’s vulnerable households.

Mbedzi, a single mother of two from Beitbridge’s high-density suburb of Dulivhadzimu, is one of many beneficiaries of the Emergency Social Cash Transfer (ESCT) programme.

The Emergency Social Cash Transfer (ESCT) Programme’s foundation was born from the  Harmonised Social Cash Transfer (HSCT) Programme, focusing on increasing the programme’s coverage and strengthening its delivery systems.  The HSCT Programme began in 2011 and was funded by the Department for International Development (DfID); the European Union (EU); Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC); Kingdom of the Netherlands, Embassy of Sweden/Sida.

The Government of Zimbabwe, through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, has maintained the programme supporting 33 districts. The ‘harmonised’ feature of the programme focuses on a set of child protection interventions that enhance household food security and promote children’s human capital (schooling, nutrition). Key successes of the HSCT were increased capacity for households to purchase their food and other non-food items, thus promoting self-reliance and reducing negative coping mechanisms.

After enrolling on the programme last year, Mbedzi persuaded her three two friends, Constance Ndlovu and Nyarai Sithole, also from Dulivhadzimu, to start a savings club from the ESCT monthly payouts to raise capital to start their businesses.

“I live with my two children, my brother and my sister as well as my landlord’s child,” Mbedzi said.

“I used to survive by helping travellers with their luggage at the border for a small fee until I met a team from UNICEF and World Vision, who registered me for the cash transfer programme.

“I was getting US$52 a month and I decided to engage my friends on how we could improve our lives and we decided to start a savings club to pool together money to recapitalise our small scale businesses.”  

A thriving business

Mbedzi buys and sells basic commodities that she imports from neighbouring South Africa.

So successful is her business that she is now building a shop on land that she bought as far back as in 2017 at her rural home in Mzingwane in Beitbridge District.

The project had been on hold until she started a savings club with her friends using the ESCT payouts.

‘At that time, I could not even afford a bag of cement, but UNICEF’s intervention was the turning point for me as I am now building my shop,” Mbedzi said.

“I am doing this so my children have an inheritance when I die.

“Together with my friends, we research fast-moving goods for resale so our businesses flourish.

“I rent a shop in my rural area and from the little that I get I make sure that I at least buy two bags of cement a month for the builders back home.”

She attributes her business success to the mentorship she received from World Vision after enrolling on the ESCT programme.

Thanks to World Vision, UNICEF

Mbedzi religiously keeps records of her transactions to monitor the progress of her business and to avoid eating into her capital reserves.

“I am so thankful to World Vision and UNICEF for what they have done for my family,” she said.

“They have given me dignity and I promise that I am not looking back.

“I want to encourage fellow women to take full advantage of such opportunities and spend the money on things that will benefit them in future instead of focusing on their immediate needs.”

She said she no longer struggles to put food on the table for her children and is able to pay their schools fees on time.

The other members of the savings club run a tuckshop and a poultry project respectively.

Mbedzi’s inspirational story has parallels to that of Foristance Gumbi (40) of Dulivhadzimu West, who used her monthly US$52 ESCT payout to start a mobile vending business where she sells clothes at cattle sales in rural Beitbridge.

Gumbi also joined a savings club in her neighbourhood and is now able to take care of her cancer stricken husband and their two children.

“My husband suffered a stroke and has cancer on his leg and he just returned home after about three months as he was receiving treatment for his condition,” she said.

“During that time I had to make sure that he has food and other provisions. I also had to take care of other responsibilities at home.

“When I was enrolled into the programme, I used the money to start a vending business and I am very grateful to World Vision and UNICEF for giving me the capital and the confidence to do something to sustain my family.”

Women capable of being breadwinners

Gumbi encouraged other women facing similar challenges to believe in themselves as “women are also capable of being breadwinners” like in her case where she is able buy food for her family, pay rentals and send children to school.

Ellan Tsito, a mother of three from Beitbridge’s Mfelandawonye high density suburb, said she used the US$52 ESCT payout to pay school fees for her children and to buy food for the family.

“Initially I was getting US$48 and later it was increased to US$52,” Tsito said.

“This money helped us a lot to pay for the children’s school fees and we would not struggle to have food on the table.

“The programme by World Vision and UNICEF changed our lives and I would like to thank them for their support.”

Jason Mungodzwa, a principal administrative officer in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works in Beitbridge, said the ESCT programme had a massive impact in Beitbridge where urban poverty is high due to limited economic opportunities.

“This programme has had a positive impact on the livelihoods of urban dwellers.

“As you are aware this region dry, which means that most food is brought from outside, which makes it expensive,” Mungodzwa said.

“People were able to find means to survive and those that were running small businesses such as vending got a boost from the cash transfers and they have improved their livelihoods

“They also managed to send their children to school as they were able to pay school fees on time.’

He attributed the success of the programme to the collaboration between government departments, the local authority, UNICEF and World Vision.

“We appreciate the efforts by our government and its international partners such as World Vision and UNICEF in assisting vulnerable communities,” Mungodzwa said.

“We had other departments such as the Department of Social Development, Women’s Affairs, Ministry of Youth and Beitbridge Municipality as well as the local residents association that assisted us to go deeper into areas with the most vulnerable people.”