Story by Gay Matambo
COMMUNITIES in Makoni District are set to benefit from the Saemaul Undong rural development project being implemented by Government in partnership with South Korea, in a move aimed at accelerating rural transformation and sustainable livelihoods.
Backed by a US$2 million investment from the South Korean government, the multi-year initiative will run until 2031 and target five villages in Makoni District, promoting self-sufficiency and community-led development.
The programme is expected to empower local communities through sustainable livelihoods, improved rural infrastructure and skills development. As the project gears up for implementation, beneficiaries said the initiative will position communities as drivers of their own development.
“The rehabilitation of our local dip tanks and the promise of better irrigation infrastructure mean our cattle and our crops are safer,” a villager said.
“As women, this programme encourages us to form cooperatives. We feel seen and empowered to not just be labourers, but managers of our own village business units,” a woman said.
“After seeing how the Koreans transformed their own villages, we now realise that the power to change Makoni starts with our own hands. This project is giving us the can-do spirit we were missing,” a community member said.
The project is based on the South Korean Saemaul Undong concept, which is a developmental philosophy credited with transforming that country from a war-torn nation into a global economic powerhouse.
“The Saemaul Undong or the New Village Movement transformed the Republic of Korea, which was not a wealthy country. Not long ago, our grandparents lived in small mud-walled houses. They struggled with poverty and walked long distances for water. But they had a dream. They did not wait for others to change their lives. They took responsibility. Through the spirit of Diligence, Self-Help and Cooperation, they changed their small villages and eventually, their country,” South Korean Ambassador to Zimbabwe His Excellency Park Jae Kyung said.
The programme is set to focus on infrastructure development, agricultural projects and skills training.
“To the villagers from the five Villages that are participating in this programme, I urge you to put your best foot forward and be counted as the drivers of the Programme’s success. Your full participation in the mutual planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects is a vital key to success,” Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Senator Monica Mutsvangwa said.
Through empowering grassroots communities in Makoni, the initiative aims to create a blueprint for rural transformation that can be replicated across the country.
“This is a much-welcome intervention that will bring proven best practices in rural development to Zimbabwe. We look forward to transformed mind-sets among the people of Ward 8 in Makoni District, and the adoption of improved and inclusive methods of development planning and implementation,” Manicaland Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Advocate Misheck Mugadza said.
Meanwhile, the programme is also set to act as a functional bridge between local community efforts and Zimbabwe’s broader Rural Development 8.0 and National Development Strategy Two (NDS2) frameworks.
Its alignment with the national agricultural strategy focuses on moving away from subsistence farming towards a business-minded approach.
