Lupane Women’s Development Trust

Lupane Women’s Development Trust/Lupane Women’s Centre (LWC) was founded in 2004 by the local rural women of Lupane district in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe. It was formally registered as a Trust in 2012. In 2025 a law requested all "development trusts" to re-register as Civil Society Organisations. The women worked in groups in activities that addressed their economic and social gaps. Lupane is one of the most marginalized districts in the country and also experiences intermittent drought. Most of the women and men are unemployed following the economic meltdown in Zimbabwe which has seen the close down of a majority of industries in Bulawayo, the second largest town of Zimbabwe. LWC aims to alleviate poverty among the disadvantaged women and vulnerable members of the community in 14 of the 28 wards in the District. The Centre’s primary activities include advocacy for members, training of weavers in basket making and marketing and selling of products to local and international markets, training in growing vegetables and crops, beekeeping, small livestock production for food security and income. LWC also realized the importance of involving schools and has trained school children how to manage keyhole gardens. For weavers interested LWC establish an informal saving and lending system. All these activities are done with an intention of growing self-sustaining communities. LWC is a membership-based organisation with a stable economy based on member fees and income generating activities based on conference services, accommodation and catering. Additional income is generated by implementing donor financed projects.