Sandra Machinga

First Lady advances grassroots economic empowerment HE, the @ZimFirstLady, Dr Auxilia Mnangagwa, is advancing grassroots economic empowerment through the Angel of Hope Foundation and community initiatives focused on women, rural households and vulnerable groups. Through Agric4She, Pfumvudza4She, Agro Tourism4She, widows’ empowerment programmes and interventions in healthcare and nutrition, the First Lady is promoting productive activities aimed at strengthening livelihoods, food security and economic participation. The initiatives complement Zimbabwe’s Second National Development Strategy, NDS2, and Vision 2030, while supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 aspirations for inclusive growth, sustainable development and women’s empowerment. Agriculture is central to this empowerment drive. In Kaitano, Mount Darwin, Mashonaland Central, Pfumvudza4She was launched alongside a nutrition garden supported by a solar powered borehole and water tanks, linking agricultural production with water access and improved nutrition. In Muzarabani, Agric4She activities included converting a pit into a fishpond to support women’s income generating activities, alongside poultry, piggery and agricultural value addition initiatives. The programme has also included agricultural demonstrations and tree planting in Mashonaland East. In Zhombe, Midlands Province, the First Lady launched women’s agricultural empowerment activities that included the distribution of fertiliser and seed. These interventions provide productive resources that can strengthen household food security and support income generation, in line with SDG 2 on food security and sustainable agriculture and SDG 5 on women’s empowerment. The empowerment drive has also embraced diversification of rural enterprises. In May 2025, the First Lady launched Agro Tourism4She in Buhera District, Manicaland Province, showcasing an integrated enterprise combining poultry production, dairy, traditional grains, citrus cultivation and beekeeping. Widows have also benefited from the empowerment drive. In Masvingo Province, the First Lady’s Widows Association empowerment programme was reported to cover all seven districts, with income generating projects aimed at improving livelihoods. Such initiatives support SDG 1 on ending poverty and SDG 8 on inclusive economic growth and productive employment. The First Lady’s interventions also extend to healthcare, nutrition and vulnerable communities. At Maria Theresa Clinic in Chiweshe, Mashonaland Central, a community e health and e commerce centre was established to improve access to services, including virtual medical consultations that can reduce the need for patients to travel long distances for certain consultations. In Bulawayo, an integrated project at King George VI School, which serves children with disabilities, included fish farming, an orchard, water access and environmental management activities. These interventions support SDG 3 on health and wellbeing, SDG 4 on inclusive education and SDG 10 on reducing inequalities. President Dr @edmnangagwa's “Leave No One and No Place Behind” mantra provides the broader national development principle under which communities and vulnerable groups are included in Zimbabwe’s development trajectory. Through NDS2 and Vision 2030, the Government seeks to strengthen productive capacity, broaden economic participation and improve living standards. The First Lady’s initiatives complement these objectives by creating opportunities for women, widows, rural households and vulnerable groups to improve their livelihoods. By connecting agriculture, enterprise development, healthcare, nutrition and social inclusion, the initiatives demonstrate how grassroots empowerment can contribute to Zimbabwe’s broader development objectives. #LeaveNoOneAndNoPlaceBehind