Honde Valley Sustainable Community Development
Roadmap for the sustainable community development of Ward 10, Honde Valley, integrating access to clean water, sustainable energy and safe cooking facility in the local economy
Location
Honde Valley, Mutare district, Zimbabwe
Period
Sept 2016- May 2017
Partners
Fortune Development Cente
InnoEnergy
Areas of focus
Integration of Renewables
Clean cooking facilities
Understanding the local needs
The Team has been requested to perform a roadmap study on the local needs of the population of Samaringa Village and the nearby areas. The goal was identifying the priorities and the barriers to overcome, in order to guarantee energy access, clean water and safe cooking facilities to the population, and at the same time incentivising local entrepreneurship.
A close cooperation with the local leaders, two field study trips and the constant interaction with the local association have been key elements in the clear definitions of the goals of the study.
Identification of potential solutions
Once the main goals have been identified, the team has presented improvment proposals in each area of focus, prioritizing technologies that could be easily implemented and maintained in time with local training.
The team has connected the local community with potential partners for the implementation phase, in particular for the implementation of a water digitalized access system, battery charging stations and a clay workshop to manufacture locally improved cooking stoves.
Business creation and entrepreneurship
The economy of the valley is mainly based on agricolture, but offers great potential in terms of local artisanship, bio products and ecotourism.
In this sense, the team has been requested to share ideas and figures on the challenges and opportunities to improve waste management, to develop an eco-tourism implementation roadmap and to study the additional revenues coming from bee-keeping for local farmers.