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22. Difficult Transition Years, 2001–2003
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— 299 — Su Hove took over as substantive director in 2001, after acting for nearly a year. It was a near impossible task she bravely shouldered; not only were ZimPro’s finances still in a parlous state, the whole country was in turmoil with ongoing land invasions accompanied by violent assaults on farm owners as well as thousands of farm workers, many of whom were permanently displaced. Inflation was rising as the dollar devalued, and before long the multifaceted crisis of economy and society would accelerate. The organisation had continued to struggle with financial sustainability. Early in 2001 the auditors agreed to withhold a qualification on the ZimPro accounts for a year to see if they could return to viability, but it did not afford much time to make a turnaround. Adelaide Acres was again producing a negative performance – as usual, due to poor management. Trust Academy was the only positive note, and was performing well, making a regular contribution to ZimPro’s budget. However, by itself it could do very little to cover all the costs of administration. At the beginning of 2001, the administration had moved offices to Adelaide Acres in order to save on costs and gain some income from renting out 182 Samora Machel Avenue. But funds were insufficient to employ well-qualified staff, to offer benefits such as full medical aid, or to give salary increments that kept up with inflation rates. This meant it was difficult to retain staff when they were engaged, and administration became incoherent as turnover accelerated. The absence of systematic documentation which resulted makes it somewhat difficult to record exactly 22 Difficult Transition Years 2001–2003 — 300 — Against the Odds: a history of Zimbabwe Project what was happening during this critical period, but considering the organisational problems, as well as the external environment , it was a credit to the leadership that they managed to achieve as much as they did in the following years. In 2000 Hove had identified the priority areas as funding and defining the way forward for ZimPro. Since the Chipinge Rural Livelihoods Programme was winding down, and the Savings and Credit Scheme was expected to receive renewed support for three years from Christian Aid, it was still the resettlement programme which required serious attention to keep the organisation on track. The collection of outstanding loans from the Revolving Loan Fund debtors was continuing, but was terminated before the end of 2000, since the little that was being retrieved was not worth the expense. The remaining loans were written off. Before we consider the new scheme, however, it will be useful to look at the Chipinge programme that was being wound down, as it did have an important influence on the way ZimPro moved forward with its work in resettlement. The End of the Rural Livelihoods Programme – Chipinge Oxfam Canada had initiated this programme as a short-term experiment with very specific goals in the area of nutrition and health, primarily through promoting food security. It had also aimed at stimulating co-operative working relationships between different NGOs with common goals. By the end of 2000, preparations for terminating the programme were beginning, figures were being added up and loose ends tied up. It was estimated that 92,000 individuals had benefited from the work of ZimPro on this programme. For the first time, following the RBM model, very specific quantified achievements are noted, which relate to the original objectives.1 The first objective had been to increase small grain production – as sorghum and millet were more drought-resistant they were therefore more likely to produce a significant harvest. In the four villages in which ZimPro worked during these three years, more than 1,500 farmers were trained, 8,000 were judged [44.199.212.254] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 18:00 GMT) — 301 — Difficult Transition Years to have become aware of the benefits of small grain production and 2,175 households were planting recommended seed. Community seed banks were being maintained and food security funds had been created. Oxfam noted that although knowledge of small grains was not something new in the area, the importance of their use had been absorbed by the communities and more people were now prepared to grow them than previously. Similarly, the matter of seed banks had been known, but a greater determination to create and maintain them was observed.2 The...