Kenneth Moyo
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Authors
David Brazier
Issue Date
2017-02
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Energy
Alternative Title
Abstract
Sustainable Energy for Rural Communities (SE4RC) Gwanda district, Zimbabwe; Nsanje and Chikwawa districts, Malawi February 2015 – January 2019 Funding: European Union, OFID and GEF Small Grants Programme Kenneth Moyo is 46 years old, he is a widower with two children, both girls, aged 16 and 20. He is a farmer and lives with his daughters in a home in Mashaba. He plays a crucial role in the SE4RC project and manages the water irrigation system. "I have lived in Mashaba since I was born. I am a farmer. I farm maize, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and beans. I sell food, I sell at Manama Boarding School and Gwanda Town at hospitals." "[Before the project] I would plant them and they would die because there was no water. I used the diesel engine. I had to buy diesel in Gwanda, it was expensive. (Gwanda Town is over 100km away from Mashaba) I had to pay someone to take me to Gwanda. If that wasn’t awailable I’d take the bus. It took four hours there and four hours back." "We had very little food at home. For 2-3 months, we had no food. (food of their own.) When asked about the project: "It was very good. I now get 20 bags of maize, before I was only growing 3-4 bags. For six months of the year I can harvest. I want my children to get an education. My youngest wants to be a mechanic. When I sell this produce I will send them to school. I am able to get money and will start a business at the business centre. I want to buy goats and cattle and sell them at the market. People are now very happy. People can now buy food from here. There were no lights in the clinic, they had to use candles. Once, the nurse was seeing to me but the candle kept going out. When I went with my children at night, they would refer them to Manama Hospital, which is 30km away. It’s my job to manage the water irrigation.” Sustainable Energy for Rural Communities (SE4RC) Location: Gwanda district, Zimbabwe; Nsanje and Chikwawa districts, Malawi Project date: February 2015 – January 2019 Partners: SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Dabane Trust in Zimbabwe, Hivos, Churches Action in Relief and Development (CARD) and Environment Africa in Malawi Funding: £5.6 million Principal funders: European Union, OFID and GEF Small Grants Programme