Lupane Women's Development Trust

Lupane Women’s Development Trust (also known as Lupane Women’s Centre) was founded in 2004 by the local rural women of Lupane a district in Matabeleland North in Zimbabwe. It was formally registered as a Trust in 2012. The women worked in groups in activities that addressed their economic and social gaps. Lupane is one of the most marginalised districts in the country and also experiences intermittent drought because it is in zone 5 which has very little rainfall and very hot summers. 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. Lupane Women’s Development Trust aims to alleviate poverty among the disadvantaged women and vulnerable members of the community in 14 of the 28 wards in the district. It empowers women and vulnerable members of the community who include unemployed men and persons living with disability through training, dissemination of information, creating market linkages for the products and services such as baskets, vegetables, small livestock and catering services. The Centre’s primary activities include basket making and selling to local and international markets, growing vegetables and crops for food security and income generation, keeping small livestock for both food and income generation, beekeeping and savings clubs. Lupane Women’s Development Trust also realised the importance of involving schools for the training of young people and has trained school children how to manage keyhole gardens All these activities are done with an intention of growing a self-sustaining community.