YCA4SoTra Project Awards Five Organizations Seed Grants at Green Jobs Bootcamp.
Providence Moyo
Five youth organizations were awarded $2500 seed grants each at the three day, Youth Collective Action for Social Transformation (YCA4SoTra) Green Jobs Bootcamp held at Mavuna Lodge in Bulawayo.
Hosted by the Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) in partnership with Saywhat and Save the Children, with support from the European Union the bootcamp ran under the theme “Launching your innovative green income generating project towards a sustainable future.” Its goal was to cultivate eco- conscious leaders equipped to address pressing environmental and socio-economic challenges through innovative, community driven solutions.
The winning organisations Deep Plough, Aquaponics, and Deserve Goat Farmer from Bulawayo, Ukuna from Beitbridge and Fish Value Addition from Binga were selected from 13 competitive pitches from Bulawayo, Binga, Gwanda, Beitbridge and Matobo. The winners will use funds to advance projects focused on environmental sustainability and economic growth.
Knowledge Khumalo, Project Officer for the YCA4SoTra project, emphasised the Green Jobs Boot Camp’s mission to empower young Zimbabweans with practical green skills to foster youth-led innovation and entrepreneurship in climate-smart sectors.
“We conduct the Green Jobs Boot Camp to equip youth with the knowledge and skills needed to tackle environmental challenges, create economic opportunities, and contribute to a sustainable future,” Khumalo explained.
One of the winners, Wayne Musingwini from Ukuna, expressed excitement about the grant. “This seed grant is going to open new avenues for us as we scale up our ecobrick initiative made up of sand and plastics,” Musingwini said.
“We are looking forward to expanding our operations and creating more sustainable building solutions for our community.”
Similarly, Muziwanele Ncube, the chairperson of Deep Plough Agriculture Cooperative, also expressed his excitement about the $2,500 seed grant received from the GreenJobs Bootcamp.
“This grant is a significant boost to our project, and we plan to use it to further develop our sustainable agriculture initiatives and help us scale up not only mushroom drying but also to include fruits like mangoes,” he said.
Ncube underscored the importance of such funding opportunities for young entrepreneurs and innovators in the green economy sector.
The GreenJobs Bootcamp is part of YCA4SoTra’s efforts to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation in the green economy sector. By supporting these organizations, the initiative is expected to have a positive impact on the local economy and environment.
The recipients are expected to utilize the grants to drive their projects forward, creating a ripple effect of positive change in their communities.
