Zimbabwe: Female Youth empowerment through removal of illlegal dumps

Municipality of Chinhoyi’s commitment to management of waste is evidenced by the existence of several strategies employed to address waste management issues. As the vision of Municipality of Chinhoyi states: A Smart City of Choice by 2030, the council is doing its best to improve the lives of its community since a clean community is a healthy community. Environmental health section ensures that all illegal dumps are noted and are cleared to ensure a clean environment. It has a schedule of clearing illegal dumps on weekends. However the section sat down to come up with permanent solution to the problem

People tend to use open spaces to illegally dump their waste which in turn creates breeding places for flies and mosquitoes. These illegal dumps are a hazard to the community at large and therefore need to be taken care of. Instead of clearing dumps on weekends, Municipality of Chinhoyi, environmental health section came up with a strategy of converting illegal dumps spaces into a profitable space. Thus council has allocated those spaces to individuals to conduct business such as gardening, carpentry, tyre mending services, gas selling points as well as pool games to create entertainment especially for the youths. This was done with the mind that if the space is owned and occupied by an individual or group of people, then they will police the area therefore ending illegal dumping at the area.

Key Actions

Activities include gardening where individuals and groups grow vegetables such as rape, covo, spinach, tomatoes, onions and cabbages as well as flowers at dumping areas which beautifies the community.

Other activities include carpentry where a sole trader is making beds, wardrobes and any form of carpentry needed by the community. Youths were empowered and employment creation was achieved. Tyre mending services now engaged by the youths.

Entertainment such as pool was also established on dumping areas and this has resulted in youths have something to do other than lying idle. This has helped in crime reduction and other dodgy activities.

Partners

Municipality of Chinhoyi and individuals from the community who had the zeal to make the environment clean. These people wanted to earn a living out of the projects at a low cost. Most of these people were marginalized and had nothing to do

Strategies

Strategies that were employed include relocation of those people who were operating at illegal places to go and occupy the places used as illegal dumping places. Some people volunteered to keep an eye on the places by using them to earn a living. Clean up campaigns were also done in those areas ant the community were encouraged to do some projects on those places and they come forth in quite a good number

Challenges

People allocated these places wanted to own these places, however education was given to all the people allocated places and the community at large on the rule and regulations of the local authority on how they should operate

Some people had not enough resources to occupy the place, but people were encouraged to form partnerships so that they share space available for example Tyre mending and gardening

Community continue to illegally dump waste on these areas, however hailer was used to carry out awareness campaigns and boards clearly stating that the areas are not waste was placed on those areas

Some people wanted to use political muscle in order to get the places and these were engaged and were allocated according to council’s rules and regulations

Immediate results and next steps

• The project created employment opportunities since the youth will be able to carry out different projects at these areas like tyre mending there by creating employment.
• Improved food and nutrition security the nutritious gardens will provide for the whole community
• Reduction in poverty these projects undertaking will provide employment to the youth.
• Youth empowerment.
• Crime reduction.
• Beautification of the area.
• Generally it improved the standards of living of many people.
• Cases of drug abuse and other criminal cases have been reduced since youths are now occupied with their work of hands

Long term Impact

• Healthy community-since the open spaces are being utilized for other profitable uses.
• Crime free environment some open spaces were converted to a social club where youth play games.
• A clean environment all the areas which are now occupied by individuals who are running their business these people are responsible in managing the area.
• The projects which are being done in these open space improve the living standards of people since there are income generating projects like a vegetable garden.

Learning and how this will be applied

• If youths are occupied, crime rate decreases.
• If youths are employed less cases of drug abuse are experiment.
• If all the open spaces are occupied no illegal dumping of waste there by making the environment clean and continuous campaigns on good practices on how to dispose of waste are encouraged to the public.