For rural communities in Zaka a garden is more than vegetables—it’s hope, resilience, and dignity. One widow shares, “𝑴𝒚 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆” not because he has returned, but because her garden now provides school fees, food, and clothes. It has become the silent provider.

Crops like beetroot are not just feeding families—they are restoring health. Income from the garden brings more than food; it brings harmony at home. Women report being respected by their husbands, enjoying greater freedom, and seeing a reduction in intimate partner violence.

Garden earnings are fuelling new investments—cattle, goats, guinea fowl, tools—and opening doors to enterprise, from poultry farming to carpentry. Solar installations and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) skills ensure the next generation is nourished and equipped to thrive. Six women in a

Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) group save together, turning small contributions into big dreams. The garden sparks vision and replication: household gardens, irrigation, fishponds, and beekeeping. One grandmother sums it up: “𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔.” Gardens are transforming lives, creating dignity, and building a stronger, self-reliant community.

Among other interventions the CARE Zimbabwe-led and United States Government funded Takunda project has established a total of 111 Gardens across four districts: #Buhera, #Chivi, #Mutare and #Zaka Rural.