Cash Project Sparks New Hope for Visually Impaired Family in Epworth
By Ronald Magweta (Communications Officer)
In Epworth, one of the communities hardest hit by Zimbabwe’s El Niño-induced drought, Mrs Mandishona (29) is beginning to see a new path forward for her family.
Visually impaired and living with her equally blind husband, three young children, and her brother, Mrs Mandishona’s daily life has long been shaped by hardship. With no stable source of income, the family has survived on handouts and by begging in the streets.
But that story is beginning to change—thanks to the El Niño Life Saving Cash Project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by World Vision Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Government of Zimbabwe.
“This cash support came at a time when we had nothing,” Mrs Mandishona shares. “It helped us buy food and pay rent for our one-roomed cottage.”
Epworth’s residents, like the Mandishonas, live hand-to-mouth and often lack even the most basic services. In Mrs Mandishona’s area, there is no reliable access to water. Most families must buy water from neighbours with wells, paying USD $1 for just four buckets.
Despite these challenges, Mrs Mandishona is already turning the small monthly cash transfer into a seed for long-term change.
“I used part of the money to buy an egg incubator that holds up to 432 eggs,” she says with a hopeful smile. “I plan to hatch my own chickens and sell them to earn income.”
But she’s not stopping there. She also plans to hatch eggs for others in the community—for a small fee—which will help her grow her business and support her family. Since their home has no electricity, she used part of the cash to buy a solar panel and battery to power the incubator.
Her vision doesn’t stop at income generation. With children aged 9 years, 3 years, and just 4 months, Mrs Mandishona also uses the money to pay school fees. At a nearby private school, monthly fees are US$15 and US$10—a small amount, but out of reach for many families in her situation.
“I want my children to go to school and have a better life,” she says.
Thanks to the El Niño Life Saving Cash Project, Mrs Mandishona is now doing more than just surviving—she’s rebuilding a life of dignity and opportunity, one small step at a time.