Grinding Mill Project: A necessity

Interviewer: Jacob Mumpande Date: 21 May 2014 Venue: Musuna Grinding Mill

In 2009, Firelight Foundation supported a project targeting Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) here in Musuna. As a group of Home Based Care Givers we led this initiative and were tasked to select an income earning activity from the three originally enlisted projects which are;

·         Goat rearing

·         Gardening

·         Grinding Mill

We dropped Goat rearing project because of lessons learnt from the similarly Lubhancho supported project which was literally a failure. The garden project was also dropped because it was viewed as not viable due to lack of arable land. The grinding mill was ultimately pursued and supported by village leaders and local councillor. The committee had managed to pull resources together from well-wishers and business people in a fashion of the community ownership share scheme. Community contribution was significant at construction stage through labour provisions on collection of pit and river sand, quarry stone as well as providing workmanship. The grinding mill now generates an average $250 each month and this used on running costs and funding educational support. However expenditure patterns break even.

When the grinding mill structure was set up and milling services were functional, several benefits accrued to the community and as well as OVCs who were primary targets as detailed underneath.

Firstly, distance to the nearest grinding mill in Makwa (located 25km away) was reduce once the grinding services were provided locally. Local people used to walk daily to Makwa for milling. The project is now serving 9 villages namely; Dambwamunkulu, Sinebhibhi, Kanejola, Kanjezi, Mapakoendavu, Pingileni, Musuna Hills, Chinoni and Chunga. An average of 40 households per each village are subsequently benefiting from the project on milling their grain.

Secondly, as a community we reduced abuse cases for girl children who usually frequented Makwa for grinding services. These girl children were being waylaid by soldiers and policeman at that time and this scenario was at an unabated levels.

Thirdly, there was success on taking children to school as primary objective of the project. Most OVCs had not been managing to proceed to secondary school due to challenges on user fees. Tawanda Ncube benefited from school fees and food and had since completed his secondary level; Devine Manjankosi got fees for two terms and food hampers before being shifted to BEAM; Mayford Tshuma benefited from school uniforms, stationery, fees and food and proceeds from the grinding mill are currently paying for his ‘’A” level at Binga High School; whereas Tichaona Munkuli and Lungile Sibanda benefited from fees and food hampers also. The said beneficiaries got support all through the form four. Currently, we are supporting three pupils from grinding mill proceeds.

The utmost momentous change perceived by the two CPC formations (adult and child led); and attributed by entire community is reduction in child abuse cases in the ward.  As HBCG, we confirm reduction in HIV prevalence rate in young people which was initially caused by exposure of young children in secluded areas as they made their way to Makwa for grinding services. Sexual related abuse had been topical in Musuna and our community give testimony that indeed child abuse has gone down. This reduction in abuse cases is deemed significant because rape cases had been reduced considerably as well as STI/HIV and AIDS prevalence rate. Children were physically abused as lower primary pupils would that time before the grinding mill seen carrying 20kg of grain to a distance 25km to get to the grinding mill. 

Forward planning for the project is completing workmanship at the grinding mill and use storerooms to put deep freezer to rent out to fish traders. The project had so far put up extra material to resume refurbishment of the structure. The project is also exploring other means of expanding the project in terms of service provisions like ordering bulk maize in high production zones like Lusulu (Binga) and produce, process and package straight run mealie-meal in light of value addition.

As a grinding mill committee we had been voluntarily providing administrative service as well as labour to ensure the project is carried forward. The only benefit for committee members had been milling for a free once in each month.