Deep in the heart of Kwekwe under Chief Ruyu lies Kurima Ishungu garden. Before rehabilitation the main source of water was a bush pump borehole which are hard to operate.  Farmers used to water the garden using buckets and this required them to fetch water over and over again and imposed strain on the elderly and chronically ill.  Because the bush pump was not easy to operate most participants and at most  planted small portions. The bush pump discouraged farmers from watering their crop. In 2020 the programme upgraded the existing bush pump boreholes to solarisation, installed storage tanks water and fenced the garden.

Mrs Mujuru a widow and a mother of two a beneficiary of the nutrition garden and current chairperson of Kurima Ishungu Garden was all smiles as we talked to her

 “I am so grateful for the installation of the solar powered boreholes. Watering is much easier I no longer make many trips to just water my crops all I have to do is open a tape. I have increased the number of beds I used to water from four to fourteen. I am now growing more crops” .

Following the installation of a solar powered borehole production at the garden has been resuscitated. She has grown a variety of crops (leaf vegetables, onions, carrots, butternut, sweet potatoes, green pepper). Mrs Mujuru sells surplus vegetables. In a good month she can sells vegetables worth USD100.

“My family is now consuming a variety of nutritious food. We were also introduced to green pepper, which was a new vegetable to us. We realised that we can make money from it “.