tsed newsletter- october issue 1

TSEDNewsletterIssue 1 | October 2016

In this issue...

About TSED

Chairman's Foreword

Partner with us

Editor's note

Stories from the volunteers around Zimbabwe

Upcoming programs

Chairman's Foreword With new pressing challenges cropping out around the world, the world is in need of problem solvers more than ever. TSED is one organisation that has joined the race of providing solutions that ensure sustainable economic growth of African communities by leveraging one of the most powerful tools which is technology. TSED has been accelerating community growth by ensuring that technology is reaching the right hands in community. This first issue of the newsletter envisions what the organisation hopes to achieve in the African continent.Benson Tererai Chigwende: [email protected]

Connect with Uswww.tsed.org.zw

+263 9 60675

Technology for Sustainable



Economic Development



@technoforafrica

mailto:[email protected]

2 TSED NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1 | 2016

Who is TSED?Technology for Sustainable Economic Development (TSED), is a charity trust founded on the premises of wanting to leverage technology for sustainable economic development in Africa.

VISIONChanging communities, improving lives for a

better self-sustaining Africa.

MISSIONTo be a leader in technology acceleration and

the provision of innovative solutions to eradicate poverty and build self-sustaining communities.

STRATEGIC FOCUS

Feed the Nation The feed the nation programme exists to helpTechnology for Sustainable Economic Development(TSED) in the fulfilment of its objective in eradicatingpoverty and extreme hunger by ensuring food security,enhancing production and productivity and achievinghigher local value addition. At Technology for Sustainable EconomicDevelopment (TSED) we believe that change begins atearliest stage of life in a society which is the family unitin the community. So our feed the nation programmeis focused on transforming smaller farming familieswith growth potential and have a measurable positivesocio-economic effect on community, employment(particularly for youth and women) and sustainedhousehold incomes.

Education for All A prosperous and self-sustaining Africa ispredicated on the development of Africa’s humanresources. Well-functioning and sustainable nationaleducation and training systems are key tools inachieving this. Education is an important sector whoseperformance directly affects the quality and magnitudeof Africa’s development. Technology for Sustainable EconomicDevelopment in support of Education for all hope topromote the acquisition of life-skills by adolescentsand youth and expand adult literacy in areas pertainingtechnology.

Connect the Globe (Internet for All)

As part of Internet Global Challenge initiativethat catalyses new models of public-private collaboration, with the aim of increasing affordable internet access and relevant adoption, and developing a replicable methodology that can be scaled within and among other countries for the estimated 4 billion people who are not on the internet. TSED initiative will be action oriented with anobjective to accelerate the achievement of internet forall, in partnership with the governments involved andunder their leadership, and will involve private sector,civil society, experts, and the multilateral/bilateralcommunity. The models developed will aim to serve asa basis for scaling up and replicating “internet for all” inAfrican countries and regions.

Clean and Sustainable Energy for All

Energy access acts as a catalyst for development, enabling education and local business opportunities, improving health and welfare, and enhancing democratic engagement. Africa is poised for breakneck economic growthin the coming decades because of its rich naturalresources, favourable demographics and overall scopefor development compared to other parts of the world.But much of that growth will hinge on the availabilityof the power and electricity needed to ignite industriesand enable everyday business activity throughout thecontinent. Technology for Sustainable EconomicDevelopment’s main objective under the banner of Clean Sustainable Energy for all it helps Africa supply the most basic needs of energy to smaller communities with potential of a meaningful social economic development.

Upcoming Programs Editor’s Note

3TSED NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1 | 2016

TSED Emerging Leaders Training Camp. (TSED E.L.T.C)

This program under the auspices for Education for ALL (E.F.A) was designed to train youths in the acquisition of life skills pertaining to technology and engagement in production centred activities .The training camp is held annually in the month of November, during the Training camp special guests are invited to hold the training seminar.

Areas of training:Ÿ Renewable Energy Technologies.Ÿ Social Entrepreneurship.Ÿ Smart Farming Technologies.Ÿ Reuse and Recycle Techniques.etc.

NB: This program is made a success by the generosity of our partners and donors who are dedicated to the sustainable socio and economic development of Africa. To donate and partner with us contact us on [email protected] or +263775931262, [email protected]

TSED Reach Out Campaigns.

Reach out campaigns are organised in different parts around the continent of Africa under the directive of the Board of Trustees .But currently scheduled campaigns will be focused in Zimbabwe. Their sole purpose is advocacy and engagement of stake holders, donors and volunteers. They help community know who we are, what we do as the TSED thus bringing awareness in our valued partners.

To be part of the reach out campaigns please contact [email protected].

Above all else, I am excited to be part of the vigilant team that made the production of this newsletter possible! This is officially the first newsletter to be published by Technology for Sustainable Economic Development (TSED). Our purpose goes beyond tackling issues going on in Zimbabwe, we are proudly aiming for extending our reach throughout the continent of Africa. The amazing thing is our acknowledgement that we cannot do any of this without the help of people like ‘you’. Yes, you! By reading this article alone, you have become a valued contributor of TSED. Of course you can go the extra mile by spreading the word about our work, volunteering your services, taking part in our workshops or donating whatever it is that you can and feel will be of great use to the next person. It is to my greatest hope that you enjoy reading this newsletter and give us feedback through our social networks and contact details provided on the first page. Welcome to the TSED family!





Emergency call in Tavengwa villageBy Faith Mhandu- Mutsambiri

In the sun scotching land of Mwenezi area in Masvingo province lies Tavengwa village. An area where even the grass itself struggles to see the rise of a new dawn. Seeing green natural vegetation is a rare encounter in this semi-arid region. The situation of the natural environment itself signals to a visitor the struggle that locals go through to harvest something worthy a meal. Pastures are dry and tillage fields are thirsty, putting both humans and livestock on the receiving end of hunger and poverty. Tavengwa village falls under the chieftainship of Chief Murovi. Mwenezi lies in natural regions four (4) and five (5) which by geography receives little to no rainfall. By virtue of location, it is prone to drought and inadequate for agricultural activities. With the area also experiencing climate changes, for the past years Tavengwa village has been in perennial food shortages. This has forced Mwenezi farmers to shift from traditionally regular crops into cotton, small grains, and livestock production. However, of late, livestock production has been affected by pastures scarcity due to droughts. This has brought a notable challenge to the villagers since they rely on butter trading their animals to gain mealie meal, the people’s staple food. On the other hand, small grains production is usually stereotyped as for women while farmers have since dumped cotton due to its poor prices. Unlike other villages in Mwenezi that are close to Mwenezi River, Tavengwa village does not benefit from this natural resource. There is just a small irrigation scheme in the area, which can only supportvegetables and probably small scalegreen mealies production. It is notbig enough to feed the communityfor the whole year.With the explanation above,people in Tavengwa village do nothave any other sources of income.

! e market for small grains is stillsmall in Zimbabwe as most peopleprefer maize meal rather than millet,rapoko and sorghum. ! e people ofTavengwa themselves consume itbecause it is the only production thattheir dry land can sustain. ! therefore,the need to educate them on thebenefits of these small grains to thehealthy development of an Africancitizen.Expanding the area underirrigation is one way of helpingpeople in Tavengwa village, buteducation and value addition can alsoplay a vital role. Educating villagersas well as the whole nation on thenutritional value of small grains willgo a long way in the appreciation ofthe negatively stereotyped crops. Education is also requiredin achieving the highest yield perhectare in both small grains andcotton. Teaching farmers to harvestpastures during the peak of the rainseason is also vital. Value additionon the other hand, will improve theconsumption of small grains whileto cotton farmers this would be astepping stone in poverty alleviation.Obert Jiri, an agronomistand University of Zimbabwe lectureconcurred that if farmers mobilisethemselves and gin their crop beforeexporting, they would realise more profits.“What our cotton farmersneed especially those who do notgrow under the contract system is tobe able to gin their own cotton andexport it as lint which fetches a betterprice,” said Jiri.“! is can be achieved byhaving an independent ginningcompany, and due to the spread ofmobile phones that use internet,our farmers can access internationalmarket prices and form groups toexport their crop,” he added.Value addition of small grainswould also create a wide variety offood choices amongst the villagersand remove boredom and appetite

loss caused by eating the same foodall the time. As a result, this wouldcreate household food security withan added advantage of a nutritionaldiet.Tavengwa villagers also needassistants in finding markets for theirproduce once irrigation technologiesare set. ! is will help them to tradetheir crops and manage to acquiremore commodities other thantheir land produce. Moreover, theywould need money to inject backinto their agricultural activities.In as much as food aids mightbring a bright smile to the villagers,this is not the best way to help thestruggling communities. Food aidsfeed them today but tomorrow theyare hungry again. Besides, it createsa reliance syndrome while killingself-sustenance.What these locals need istechnological innovations andeducation for self-sustenance. Withtechnology, they can have their localindustry of water pumping; irrigationcan be a bloomy activity in this areabringing food to everyone’s table.Hungry faces can slowly fade awayif water pumping technology is to beinstalled.

Water crisis hits Chikomba communal lands


By Tendai Munhazu

It is around mid-day and the sun is b l i s ter ing t remendously hot . Temperatures are ranging around 35

degrees in a dry summer. From down the valley slowly approaches a woman around her mid-30s. She is carrying a 25litre container on her head. Both her hand are hanging with a bucket of water each. As she draws nearer, it becomes visible that a small baby is strapped on her back crying with inexplicable discomfort. The woman is breathing atypically and profusely sweating. She looks exhausted but still going. From a distance follows a young boy, in the primary school going age. He is supposed to be in school but probably this day he had to help her mother in the garden. At the moment he is struggling with two, five liter containers filled with water. His lips are dry, the hair is kinky and his skin is all white with the dust. Despite the sun heated soil, the boy is walking bare footed on this intense hot earth. His name is Takunda and her mother is Mary. They need to water their garden and go back to the river, a mile away. Without such determination, they won’t find a meal on their tables enough for them to see the next day. Such are the characteristics of the daily struggles for survival enveloping the people of Manyene communal lands, Chikomba District in Chivhu. Boreholes a few and rivers are far. Everything seems s l o w i n t h i s r e m o t e a r e a , f r o m communication to transportation. There is no tared road to link them to their beloved Chivhu town. Now being isolated like that, they are struggling to produce for their self-sustenance. The woman in the opening paragraphs, Marry Machona described h e r o r d e a l a s h o r r i b l e d a y l i g h t nightmares: “Ndiwo mararamire atinoita kuno, vazhinji havazvizivi. Marwadzo ega ega sehope dzemadzikirira (That’s

how we survive here. It is like a heavy nightmare)”.

“ H a t i n a z v i b h o r a n i s a k a tinotofamba rwendo kunochera mvura kurukova. Ndomawanire atinotoitawo muriwo wemuGarden (There are no boreholes so we travel long trips to fetch water from the river. That’s how we manage to get vegetables),” she wailed.

Most residents have wells on their homes but they have dried up due to the lowering of the water table this hot summer. Now they have no option but to share the water with their few animals. Besides, these are just streams not big enough to self-filter the water. As a result, it is usually muddy after the animals take their turn at the natural resource.

Tawanda Machona, the husband to Mary narrated how the situation used to be better but has since deteriorated.

“Things used to be better in these communal lands sometimes back. I remember as a young boy my father used to have a bumper harvest. From than he managed to take me to school. GMB (Grain Marketing Board) used to come and buy maize from the local farmers. All this is a thing of the past. Ivhu redu r a n e t a u y e m v u r a h a i c h a n a y i sezvayaisiita (The soil is tired and the rains have deteriorated). Things are getting harder and harder for us,” Said Machona. “It would be better if we manage to get water pumps and fertilizers for our fields. Agriculture is our only means of survival since I am no longer working,” he added. Machona used to be a primary school teacher but left his job in 2008 going to work in South Africa. When his contract ended, Machona came back home but couldn’t get his teaching job back. Now he has to make a living from tilling the dry soil in a communal land whose soil is no longer fertile.Besides feeding his wife and

their two children, Machona needs

to take care of his 72 year old mother and his 79 year old father both staying in the same household. They try their best to he lp in the fields despi te the i r deteriorating health.

Every now and then, Machona and his wife need to take their parents for health reveal but at times they fail due to limited funds.

Adding on to the dependency load, there are also other four children; orphans left by Machona’s siblings who died of the raging HIV pandemic. Two of these are in secondary school and two are still in their primary level. All they school fees comes from Machona and his wife. He dresses them, provide food, and make sure they have a roof over their head.

Now with the lack of farming equipment, it is becoming more difficult for him. With help from the donor community, these people can be helped to ‘jump-start’ self- sustaining projects like irrigation and animal husbandry. They have the manpower but without the necessary resources, they cannot produce anything.


Partner with us

Without the support and generosity of our partners, stakeholders ,donors the vision would not be possible so TSED is mobilising individuals and corporate donors that subscribe with our work to help us make our communities better by sending in donation in the form of

· Damaged equipment or · Working equipment· Office furniture· Tools· Industrial machinery· Renewable energy equipment· Computers and laptop.

To our refurbished centre were they are recycled for reuse to communities of need.

(Please fill and cut the form)

DONATION FORM (Please complete all the sections) Details of donor Title …… Forename(s)…………………………............ Surname……………………………… ID number/ Passport number……………………………………………………………...........…Address ………………………………………………………………………………….............. ……………………………………………………………………………….............…Postcode …………………………… Email address …………………………………………………………………………................. Description of Donation …………………………………………………………………………....………………........… ……………………………………………………………………………………........…………

Donated Towards …………………………………………………………………...........……….

Signature…………………………………………………..................Date……/……/………….

For partnerships, donations and inquiries: Benson Tererai Chigwende +263775931262 [email protected]

[email protected],zwSimbarashe Sharara +263772298204

For further information and support:

Secretary and Public Relations OfficerAnnah Gangararwe +263771051077 [email protected] Where to Find Us:

Bulawayo Centre ComplexShop 39

thAlong Fort Street Btwn 9&10 [email protected]



mailto:[email protected],zw





tsed newsletter- october issue 1

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