Our work in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe ranks 206 out of 230 in GDP per capita and, according to UNESCO, 91 out of 153 in literacy worldwide. But with one of the best farming climates on Earth, the sky is the limit for this country of 16 million.

Thanks to majority-funding from the Swedish Postcode Lottery, Hand in Hand is helping Zimbabwe by reaching out to thousands of women smallholder farmers – the backbone of this erstwhile breadbasket of Africa – with our package of business and skills training, access to microcredit and links to larger markets. At the same time, we’re directly targeting young women – a necessity in this fast-growing country, where some 80 percent of the population is younger than 35.

Members trained: 21,196

Our Self-Help Group members save together, train together and start businesses together

 

Businesses started: 14,576

Hand in Hand entrepreneurs prepare food, rear cattle, weave carpets and more

Jobs created: 17,044

“Development happens through jobs,” says the World Bank. Our entrepreneurs make their own success, breaking the cycle of dependency

Lives improved: 75,965

Every business we help create in Zimbabwe benefits an average of four family members – young, old and everywhere in between

The situation for women

On women’s issues from political empowerment to health, Zimbabwe is a regional leader. But cultural practices limiting women’s education and land ownership, to name two examples, mean the country still has a long a way to go.

56% of Zimbabwean farmers are women

Only 11% of land is sole-owned by women

5.5 million Zimbabweans were food insecure during 2018-’19

With access to the same productive assets as men, women could increase yields by 30 percent


Expansion map

Hand in Hand works in four of Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces, representing about one-quarter of the country’s population.