“I am happy with my work, it helps me send my children to school”

Vongai Gonga (Pecans)
“So many in Zimbabwe don’t have jobs. I feel very lucky, my salary helps me feed my family and get them through school”

Irene Mutyanda (Pecans)
Pilidias Mapfumo (Sesame)

Pilidias has transformed his livelihood through training and support from the WFP–SAT resilience project. After harvesting 200 kg in his first season and earning $200, he reinvested in goats, which have since grown from 3 to 6. With improved agronomic practices, he expanded to 1 hectare and increased his harvest to 450 kg, enabling him to pay school fees for his children and upgrade his family home. Pilidias continues to apply new techniques and plans to plant higher-value black sesame, strengthening his family’s resilience and future.
Keresina Chikulom (Sesame)

Keresina is a 44-year-old widow & mother of six children in Mwenezi, Zimbabwe. “I am excited about this season’s prospects. I have never earned closer to US$1,000 in any season in my life, yet this season I could get US$2,800 from sesame. I wasted my time growing cotton in the past. If I could boost my pearl millet trading business and pay school fees for my two children from 0.3 ha only last season, then I can do bigger things this year. I thank SAT and Christian Aid for their support. I also salute our traditional leader for her encouragement, which has seen more women than men taking up this amazing crop in Ward 14. This crop is our local gold”