Our partnership with Zimele

South Africa’s climate has often experienced drought; this project focus allowed invaluable knowledge to be gained during trainings. In the UThukela district, where the community who received the training is situated, much of the soil has been drained of its nutrients, and the area is prone to drought. Traditional farming methods that have been practiced for many decades together with the significant increase in populations and their livestock’s numbers, have led to soil standards being strained. Soil erosion has been a big problem in the area and rain water has further depleted soil conditions where it is difficult to begin planting any crops.

Zimele’s mission is to empower women with the skills, resources and support networks to start business and social service projects to sustain themselves, their families and their communities. This project set about confronting food insecurity through rain water harvesting techniques. Through this project’s additional hands-on trainings, 150 women have been able to improve their farming expertise and skills to increase their yield, learn about and implement rain water harvesting, and use productive pest and disease controls. It has been proven that rain water harvesting in South Africa can be very beneficial in conserving soil and water resources, which leads to greater food security. Beyond food security, rainwater harvesting lessens the time women spend collecting water, allowing them to focus on other tasks within their community.