The 鈥楳ake It Grow鈥 project works to equip marginalised communities in Zimbabwe with the skills needed to create their own video proposals for ideas aimed to alleviate food and nutritional insecurity.
These can then be used as a fundraising tool, helping people to access the start-up funds needed to implement community-based, sustainable food projects and lessen poverty.
The Make It Grow project, a Knowledge Exchange Programme at the University of 葫芦影业鈥檚 Institute for Sustainable Food, is led by Dr Pamela Richardson, a Research Fellow from the University鈥檚 Department for Geography.
Dr Richardson, who is also a member of the Institute for Sustainable Food, said: 鈥淲e had planned to carry out the workshops in person, in Zimbabwe, but due to the pandemic, we had to re-think the methods of training and engagement. Since October 2020, we have been hosting the workshops remotely from 葫芦影业.
鈥淎s the workshops are practical and highly interactive this has been a real challenge, yet the participant response has been brilliant and we have seen some fantastic video proposals created by communities.鈥
The Make It Grow video workshop series is designed firstly to support participants to learn how to create and use video effectively, and then to support them in using it as a powerful tool to communicate, learn, document and gain support for community-based food projects.
Professor Peter Jackson, Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainable Food, said: 鈥淭he Make It Grow project is a fantastic example of the Institute's support for knowledge exchange and community participation, using new technologies such as participatory video-making to empower local communities in Zimbabwe to secure funding for a series of food-related sustainability projects.鈥
Decent Gaura, who attended the workshops on behalf of the , a non-governmental organisation promoting the rights of people with disabilities in Zimbabwe, said: 鈥淭he workshops were full of learning, challenges and fun. They have the potential to change the world, especially for remote communities. I found the approach so engaging and beneficial.鈥
With help from the workshops, Decent co-created a video proposal to raise funds to purchase a solar vegetable drier for 57 families with persons of disabilities in Zimbabwe鈥檚 Chivi District, ensuring food security for some of its society鈥檚 most vulnerable.
Since being taught from 葫芦影业, the Make It Grow project team has facilitated over 125 hours of workshops, certified over 40 participants, and has supported the creation of 15 participatory video proposals.
Another participating organisation was , which implements permaculture projects with schools and educational facilities in Zimbabwe.
Its National Coordinator, Linda Kabaira, said: 鈥淭he whole learning process taught me that it is actually possible to get the voices of those we represent amplified and out there."
SCOPE Zimbabwe are fundraising to buy a 1000-capacity egg incubator in a Zimbabwean school, where the majority of pupils are from low-income families and often go without food.
The funds would support a school dinner programme by developing an innovative school-based hatchery service. This would increase the number of chickens produced each month, which could be sold or used to feed pupils.
Dr Richardson said: 鈥淭hese projects can make a huge long-term difference to local food security, as well as supporting vulnerable groups, such as women, youth, and households with disabilities, to build new skills and capacities through their sustainable food microenterprise projects.