A fruitful partnership in Zimbabwe

Over the last five years, ElectricAid has had a continuous and very successful funding relationship with Concern, collaborating together successfully 11 times since 2006.

ElectricAid has provided €135,000 in funding for Concern projects and there are more great projects in the pipeline. ElectricAid, as a micro-project specialist and Concern, with their strong ability to evaluate and deliver large regional programmes, make very effective partners. The countries where ElectricAid and Concern have collaborated are as diverse as the projects themselves; from South America to South and South East Asia to Sub-Saharan Africa, many of the poorest regions of the world have benefited from funding.

In 2007, ElectricAid funded a Concern water-supply project in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe’s people have more than their fair share of chronic problems - a corrupt government regime, 94% unemployment, a worthless currency, food and power shortages and widespread pollution due to irresponsible mining practices. Concern aims to eliminate at least some of these troubles in the Gokwe District in north west Zimbabwe with a food security and livelihood recovery programme. ElectricAid funded them with €9,820 to build 15 manual pumps and to repair 19 boreholes – fantastic value for money. The pumps and boreholes are used to provide safe drinking-water and to irrigate vegetable gardens and fruit trees.

The villagers were the key stakeholders in the project. They contributed greatly to the construction by providing locally available materials and labour. This helped promote community ownership and responsibility for the project assets. The project provided the villagers with on- the-job training to maintain the project into the future. The villagers that would benefit directly had the greatest stake in the projects and so provided most of the labour, developing useful skills along the way - skills that will benefit and help develop the community into the future. As we say in ElectricAid – ‘a hand up, not a handout’. In a troubled land, your generosity is bearing excellent fruit.