SYDNEY SAIZE IN MUTARE
A non-governmental organisation, Dave Munos Foundation, is reviving poultry projects across Manicaland Province, Business Times can report.
The first project was the recent re-launch of a poultry farming project, rehabilitation and incubation project at the Mutare Remand Prison.
The Foundation’s Ambassador Ngoni Dapira told Business Times that the initiative seeks to incubate poultry farming projects as career life-skills rehabilitation programmes in all Manicaland prisons as a pilot project.
“Under the new dispensation government, President Emmerson Mnangagwa is talking of privatising some public entities and entering into public and private partnerships (PPPs) to cut fiscal expenditures. This is a new way of thinking that we want to build on, where we are working together as a public and private sector,” Dapira said.
He added: “We strongly feel that if well executed to the book with zero tolerance towards corruption, this project will take inmates rehabilitation to the next level and reduce the current problems of re-offenders.
“Re-offending is increasingly becoming a problem because of limited options of life skills for inmates, so by having poultry rehabilitation programmes currently running it will help to give inmates another chance after serving their sentences.
“So, it is our hope that incubating poultry farming programmes for inmates will be a starting point to pave the way for more programmes through such PPPs.”
The start-up donation that cost US$450 comprised a batch of 100 chicks, eight 50kgs of broiler starter and finisher respectively, including feeding troughs, infrared lights and various treatment packages for the chicks.
The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) Manicaland province head, Spetosomusa Chinobva welcomed the gesture.
“Within the ZPCS, it has always been emphasized that we are not an island. We need others to help us achieve our constitutional mandate and vision of being the best correctional service provider in the region and beyond.
“True to this emphasis, we applaud the Dave Munos Foundation which has come forward to re-launch the poultry farming, rehabilitation and incubation programme here at Mutare Remand Prison. This reflects the true spirit of what was meant when our elders said “izandla ziyagezana…”
She said the relaunch of the programme brings with it a bigger vision which is to spread across the whole province.
“This will be replicated until all our prisons in Manicaland Province have sustainable poultry rehabilitation programmes.
“Not only inmates are gaining from the insight of running projects within our prisons but also the officers themselves. With the exposure of this nature upon release from prison and retirement from the service, the said constituencies can forge an honest livelihood which can be an envy of the world around us,” Chinobva said.
Meanwhile, the Dave Munos Foundation donated 150 chickens to Victoria Chitepo Hospital which has a capacity to house 250 patients.
The hospital has been grappling to provide extra protein diets such as chicken to the province’s largest referral health centre.
The foundation has also been donating occasionally to Leratto Children’s Home in Weirmouth, Zororai Old People’s Home in Sakubva, and Zimbabwe New Hope Old People’s Home in Gatsi, Honde Valley, and Sister Albertina, a caregiver in Sakubva that has been selflessly helping orphaned children by cooking meals during weekends and encouraging teenagers recovering from crystal meth (Guka) and substance abuse.
The Dave Munos Foundation is the brainchild of David Munowenyu, a Mutare born businessman now based in South Africa.
