Exchange tools in Zimbabwe
For the young Zimbabwe federation, the past three years have been an intense tour through the whole gamut of exchange tools, as their South African and Indian partners have passed along one tool after another — to build, mobilize, educate, share, transform, enlarge, sharpen and clarify.
Here is Jockin’s "keep them busy" wisdom in practice. These notes come from Beth Bitthi, from Dialogue on Shelter, the Zimbabwe Federation’s NGO partner:
When Patrick came the second time in July 1997 with Sweetness and Mama Mkosi, it seemed so real. This was after the first group of Zimbabweans had gone to South Africa, and they were ready to start something.
This time it was breeding on fertile ground. On that visit, Patrick, Sweetness and Mama Mkosi started savings schemes in Hatcliffe and Dzarafasakwa.
They prompted people to start savings schemes.
The exchange in April 1998 was important in moving beyond savings. Mandla, Nonqangalani, Tembalithle from the SA federation came with Shawn from People’s Dialogue.
They showed the Zimbabweans what to do around enumeration, land identification, mapping and house modeling (people holding cloth).
They also worked in Hatcliffe and Dzarafasakwa.
We learnt it is better not to take the visitors around too much. Better for people to stay in one place and consolidate knowledge in one place rather than give lots of people a little bit.
Then in December 1998, with the big conference, when the Zimbabwe federation was officially born, it was more the scale of activities rather than the nature of anyone’s intervention — the negotiation with the Housing Minister, his pledge of Zim $ 25 million to a new urban poor loan fund.
It was not just international people that made everybody so excited, that moved them forward.
It was seeing that the federation had extended beyond the few settlements, seeing just what had been accomplished so far.NEXT: Model House Exhibitions
Beth Bitti
Shelter Support Zimbabwe
Homeless People's Federation
Zimbabwe
Zim House Builders