Practical Action in Southern Africa

07/03/2024

Women in rural Zimbabwe are celebrating the successful implementation of biogas energy!

This energy has revolutionized access to , helping to mitigate the global issue of indoor .

https://practicalaction.org/a/empowering-women-in-zimbabwes-chimanimani-district-with-biogas-energy-initiative/

Women in the villages of Chimanimani District in eastern Zimbabwe are celebrating the successful implementation of an improved biogas energy initiative introduced by Practical Action.

11/01/2024

"With diligence and the right partners, anyone can conquer their world. We are already enjoying fresh vegetables, getting cash from sales, and sleeping peacefully without worries of cattle straying into
our fenced gardens.” - Rachel Munyepfu, Kurai Garden.

The lives of more than 1,000 smallholder farmers have been transformed through the USAID Zimbabwe funded Resilience Building for Chimanimani Communities (RBCC) project.

We celebrate one year of resilience building, sharing the learnings, successes and voices of those leading the way
for resilient, prosperous farming in Chimanimani District,
Manicaland Province.

Click on this link for the full anniversary celebration in picture - https://practicalaction.org/knowledge-centre/resources/celebrating-one-year-of-resilience-building/.

06/12/2023

What is COP28 and why is it so important?

Here are some quick facts to get you up to speed with the world’s most significant summit on climate change. What is COP28? - COP stands for 'Conference of the Parties'. The event is a global United Nations summit about climate change and how countries are planning to tackle it.

What happened at the last COP?
- COP27 established a Loss and Damage Fund but it failed to agree on enough funding for adaptation and the final commitments to limit warming to 1.5 °C were weak. Why is COP28 important?
– The people we work with are some of the hardest hit by the climate crisis. We're at COP28 to make sure their voices are heard as world leaders make decisions about their futures. We are working with allies to call for:

· Accessible loss and damage funding
· More locally led adaptation
· Better understanding of adaptation needs
· Delivery of climate change funding

Find out more: https://practicalaction.org/cop28

COP 28 (28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) will be the final key climate moment of 2023 and action is needed now, more than ever.

04/12/2023

The climate crisis disproportionately impacts the communities we work with. That’s why we are attending to amplify their voices and help mobilise the finance and action that is urgently needed. We can all see that climate impacts are becoming more frequent and severe. The most vulnerable are hit the hardest and face the fallout from global economic shocks. We need to deliver more ambitious mitigation, increased and funding that reaches those most in need. We already have the solutions to deliver clean energy transitions, regenerative food systems, disaster risk reduction and Short animated video

adaptation that can build better futures for people on the frontlines of climate change. But we know that negotiations don’t always move at the pace that is necessary. That is why we will be calling on forward-thinking allies from all sectors– public, private, and civil society, to urgently scale up practical action. Because when it comes to protecting lives and livelihoods, hope can’t wait. Hope needs action.

28/11/2023

Part of Practical Action's 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence Campaign, we are pleased to announce that Practical Action's Africa Directorate is hosting a webinar titled: Transforming Gender – Deconstructing the intersection between Gender, Power, and Violence. The webinar aims to deconstruct the intersection between gender, power, and violence, with a focus on developing contexts. It will delve into the role of gender transformative approaches in development programming, spotlighting practical examples and explore and how individuals can responsibly utilize personal and collective power to influence and address gender inequality in their in their everyday lives and community.

Date: Tuesday November 28th
Time: 12:00 - 14:00 GMT

23/11/2023

Learning is a key component of our ethos Practical Action . We hosted a two day meeting with government stakeholders, community leaders and communities that participate in the USAID Zimbabwe funded Resilience Building for Chimanimani Communities (RBCC) project. We received comprehensive feedback as part of our learning and future growth. We also enjoyed songs on nutrition led by the farmers.

09/11/2023

“I received 7 chickens from Practical Action about four months ago and I have since grown the number to 27. We eat and sell the chickens as well as use manure in the garden, thus boosting agricultural productivity”, says Christine, a mother of 12.

Chickens are a good, healthier, and reliable source of relish for Christine and family especially as the family recovers from the double tragedy of Cyclone Idai and the COVID19 pandemic.

Chimanimani District was hit by Cyclone Idai in 2019 and two other cyclones have pounded the area thereafter. Smallholder farmers in the district were deprived of sources of income and food security as they lost livestock, grains and other farming activities. Practical Action, through the USAID Zimbabwe funded RBCC project, donated chickens, chicken feed and solar powered incubators to boost small livestock productivity.