Zimbabwe: From burdens to breakthroughs: A new dawn for our daughters and mothers
Willard Moyo, a rural development advocate from Ward 29 in Zibagwe District of the Midlands Province in Zimbabwe. He works with a local development trust that partners with rural communities to empower women and the girl child through sustainable, grassroots-driven projects. His contribution is deeply personal because he comes from this same rural area where he lived the very challenges faced by women and girls that of walking long distances to school and fetching water and lack of opportunities. Willard speak the same community language and share their daily reality, and because of that, he feels a strong responsibility to be part of the home grown solutions to the local challenges. Interestingly, Willard had been a councillor since 2008 when he was elected at a tender age of 21 years. He is popularly known as the alderman .
Life for rural girls and women was characterised by hardship and uncertainty where girls would walk 10 to 12 kilometres every day to school, using footpaths that are often unsafe, bushy, or with flooded rivers during the rainy season. These conditions resulted in many girls arriving late school and at home usually exhausted, or soaked in rain, which affected their concentration and performance. It was tradition that teachers regularly reported poor attendance, ever rising dropout rates, and low academic outcomes particularly among adolescent girls. In the community, women were spending up to five hours a day fetching water from distant and unsafe rivers and shallow wells. This affected their health, exposed them to risks, and left them with very little time for productive activities.
These challenges pushed Willard and fellow councillors to act. This required the involvement of the Rural District Council, community leaders, NGOs, engineers, and families to plan together to launch two transformative initiatives that is a low-cost girls’ boarding facility near Donsa Secondary School and a series of solar-powered boreholes across several villages including Makhanyezi. The goal was clear, to improve girls’ access to education, make women’s lives easier, and restore dignity, safety, and opportunity to rural households.
The transformation from these initiatives were remarkable as more than 30 to 40 girls now live safely in the new low-cost boarding facility and receiving education uninterrupted instead of battling long distances on dangerous footpaths, they wake up near the school, attend classes consistently, and perform better. Henceforth, teachers are reporting improved concentration and confidence of those girls now living the boarding facility. This move had caused a sharp decline in school dropout rates and more girls are passing exams and pursuing higher education. One villager, Sidingilizwe Ndebele, captured this beautifully when he said, “It’s so refreshing to see a once stressed community enjoying their day-to-day social life in a more stable and secure place for a girl child.”
The solar-powered boreholes have transformed daily life for rural women into a modern day tape system of getting water. This has restored time, energy, and safety to their lives. As Ntini Elliot said, “Women are now free and have a lot of time to do other economic activities.” And Lazarus added, “Only a short period of time at the water point is now what we are experiencing.” With improved hygiene and sanitation, the local clinic has reported a 40% reduction in waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and bilharzia. Women have redirected their time into gardening activities, poultry projects, and small businesses, which are improving both household food security and income.
The community helped clear land and construct the boarding facility using locally available materials. Engineers and NGOs helped drill and solarise boreholes at strategic locations. Community members were trained in borehole maintenance and solar system care, while older girls in the boarding house support peer mentoring to reduce running costs. The involvement of everyone from youth to elders strengthened ownership and ensured sustainability.
Evidence of these achievements is clear and well documented for everyone to see and appreciate for example, school attendance records show a 35% increase in consistent attendance among girls since the boarding facility opened. There have been fewer dropouts, better performance, and improved morale. Health records confirm a dramatic decline in waterborne diseases as reported by all 3 surrounding health institutions. Community meetings, surveys, testimonials, and council reports reveal deep satisfaction with the changes brought by the projects. Photos and videos taken throughout the construction and implementation stages provide visual proof of progress and community involvement.
Willard stated that sustainability is guaranteed as it is imbedded in local ownership, the establishment of project committees composed of women, parents, school staff, and youth manage the facilities, hold regular review meetings, and collect small contributions for maintenance. Willard spearheaded the community approach and they continue to build partnerships with NGOs, donors, and the Rural District Council, were they trained leaders in proposal writing to attract further support. These successful models are now being shared with neighbouring wards, influencing council development priorities and strengthening district-wide planning.
Mrs Gambiza from Makhanyezi village was captured on camera as she was queuing to fetch water at a solar-powered borehole, a task that now takes minutes instead of hours. Some picture collages showing the low-cost boarding facility at Donsa Secondary School, which now houses at least 40 girls. The long serving councillor is passionate about the future of learners and he takes time to participate in a career guidance session where hes engage with Donsa Secondary School students, especially girls, to inspire them to pursue bold futures.
The story of Ward 29 is, at its heart, a story of restored hope. Girls are no longer walking into danger or exhaustion. Women have reclaimed their time, health, and productivity. Families enjoy better opportunities. Our once strained community now feels proud, empowered, and optimistic. The councillor often tell the girls during mentorship sessions that “You are not walking alone anymore. Your community is walking with you.”
This is what happens when a community unites lasting change takes root, and a new future becomes possible for women, girls, and generations to come.
By: Willard Moyo