ZIMBABWE – Village Investors Programme

In Zimbabwe, the village Investors Programme (VIP) economically empowers parents and guardians of vulnerable children in the Mutari district of the Easter Highlands through community-led savings and loans groups. As part of the VIP, members are given training in how to create their own community banking system, providing them with loan capital to start and grow their own small businesses, which directly benefits themselves and their children.

Our funding will cover the training of 12 new community members as VIP Facilitators who will form, train and manage VIP groups in their area. It will also provide VIP tool kits - cash boxes, record books and calculators - for 12 new VIP groups in the Mutari area. We anticipate that some 228 parents and guardians and some 480 vulnerable children will benefit as a result. Our funding will cover our part of the programme between March 2020 and February 2021.

Project update:
Zimbabwe Investors Project - "Despite Covid-19 restrictions, VIP facilitators in the villages are continuing to monitor group income activities from home, and some groups have been able to continue with their savings and loans meetings whilst observing social distancing.

Interim Report:
In Mutari and Makoni, Zimbabwe, together with our in-country partner, Simukai, we are working with 27 communities in the Mutare and Makoni districts in eastern Zimbabwe. Despite current restrictions due to Covid-19, most VIP groups were able to continue meetings during lockdown taking preventive measures of social distancing, wearing face masks and hand washing, and with VIP members still able to access their savings and loans to invest in or diversify their businesses.

A work plan for September 2020 through January 2021 has been submitted and approved for the VIP with Simukai. Our funding of these VIP groups will continue until March 2021.