The sweetest spot in town.

The sweetest spot in town.

Atisha Guveya says she wants to start her own beauty and massage therapy business to employ youth from marginalized communities like Hopley. The Uplift/Simudza project encourages entrepreneurship./ Rabhelani Mguni, USAID.

In Zimbabwe, USAID and its partners equipped youth with tools as part of its urban resilience programs.

In downtown Harare, the aromas of freshly baked cupcakes and chelsea buns waft down to the busy street below from an old building. The building houses a technical and vocational college where young people can get mentoring and training in food catering. Every three months, a group of young people attend People’s College to receive training and practice catering. By the end of these sessions, they are at the top of their game and ready to take on rivals in the food market. The aromas coming from the building are a testament to the talent and skill they have honed over the months.

Youth taking the food catering courses are provided with aprons, ingredients, and other equipment necessary for their learning through USAID support./ Rabhelani Mguni, USAID.

The training is part of USAID’s urban resilience programs for youth from vulnerable communities. The program supports youth from Stoneridge Park, Hopley, and Mbare, all low-income neighborhoods home to some of Harare’s most marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Welding their futures into perfection! The skills training courses are a way USAID supports young people to improve their livelihoods and the resilience of their communities./ Rabhelani Mguni, USAID.

The food shortages caused by the El Nino-induced drought have added to the challenges faced by youth from marginalized communities, such as unemployment and limited access to secondary and technical education. The economic crisis in Zimbabwe and the effects of emergencies like the current drought leave young people more vulnerable to food insecurity and mental health problems.

Sweet dreams and delicious cupcakes.

“I have always wanted to be a chef. I enjoy baking cupcakes, and when this opportunity came, I was happy to take it,” says Tinotenda Magwaza, 20, from Stoneridge Park. He is one of the participants in the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) program under the Uplift/Simudza Ⅱ Project.

Tinotenda Magwaza showcasing the pastries he baked during one of his classes at the People’s College. The project supports his dream to be a chef /Rabhelani Mguni, USAID.

Tinotenda Magwaza lives in Stoneridge Park with his mother, a single parent. He dropped out of secondary school because he could no longer afford to pay school fees. “After dropping out of school, I became depressed. My dream to be a chef was shattered.” He feared that being in the streets would affect him, as he was spending every day doing nothing except playing football and sitting on bridges. For many young people like Tinotenda, being on the streets causes depression and creates opportunities for drug and substance abuse.

The Uplift/Simudza Ⅱ project is serving more than just sweet pastries but also dishes out life-changing skills./Rabhelani Mguni, USAID.

So, when USAID partner GOAL Zimbabwe rolled out the program, he was happy to register for the courses. “My mother is very happy I did this course. The support from USAID covered the fees, uniforms, and items needed at school, which is more than we could afford at home,” said Tinotenda.

The Uplift/Simudza project also supports graduates of the training program to access internship and apprenticeship opportunities./ Thomas Nyarugwe, GOAL Zimbabwe

Now the aroma of baked delicacies wafts into the streets of Stoneridge, to be followed behind by his smiling face as he goes to make deliveries to community members who have made orders. All this is a testament to his skill and empowerment.

Giving youth the toolbox.

The program has reached over four hundred youth from the city’s most marginalized and vulnerable communities. The program does not only cover training in food catering but also provides support for technical and vocational skills such as metalwork, carpentry, beauty and massage therapy, and fashion and design. The courses are taken at St. Peter’s Kubatana College in Hopley. USAID also provides learners with school fees, transport fares, uniforms, and the needed items in the workshops. All they have to do is register, attend, and learn.

Through years of experience as a metalwork lecturer, Mr. Musarira tailors his teaching style to suit all his students. He has made use of his networks in the metalwork industry to secure apprenticeships for his students./ Rabhelani Mguni, USAID.

“When we make sure people are aware that they come from marginalized communities. I make time to teach my students hunhu/ubuntu and create friendships so that they are free to communicate their needs, and I give extra training for those who need it,” said Mr. Musarira, who teaches metalwork at St Peter’s Kubatana College.

The lecturers play a proactive role in the implementation of the program. They support the learners after graduation through guidance on how to start and market their skills, and they also make use of their industry links to assist their learners in getting apprenticeships.

Photo 1

Photo 2. 1 and 2 depict how the project challenges gender stereotypes by encouraging youth participants to select their courses based on their interests, not gender./Gamuchirai ,Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust & Rabhelani Mguni, USAID.

Through the partnership with GOAL Zimbabwe, USAID co-designs the TVET program with the private sector and promotes links between alumni of the program and private sector players. The design of the TVET program recognizes the importance of social protection, disability awareness, and gender equality in community resilience. In Zimbabwe, USAID’s goal is to provide youth from marginalized communities with resilience-building support. Through the Uplift/Simudza Ⅱ project, USAID provides support for vulnerable urban communities to become resilient to humanitarian emergencies. The project achieves this through skill development for youth from these communities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This story was written by Rabhelani Mguni, who was the Development Outreach and Communications Intern (2024) for USAID’s Mission in Zimbabwe.