WASH upgrading helps unlock tenure

Globally, a mere 30% of the world’s population have legally registered rights to their land and homes. Unfortunately, these circumstances of land and housing tenure precarity account for growing incidences of arbitrary evictions in cities and Zimbabwe is no exception. Yet, under a very innovative partnership arrangement led City of Masvingo, Dialogue on Shelter Trust and the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation land tenure security is being addressed through co-production of water and sanitation facilities in Mucheke suburb.

The WASH upgrading which started in 2020 has seen the refurbishment of old communal ablution blocks and construction of new individualized sanitation units. To date, a total of 48 sanitation units have been delivered in Mucheke - the oldest high-density suburb in Masvingo. In addition to the WASH interventions, the collaboration has also resulted in housing upgrading in the old hostels leading to increased living space in the previously crowded housing facilities. A memorandum of understanding signed by the three parties in 2020 has also catalyzed these upgrading actions. Upgrading experiences from other councils such as Bulawayo have also helped to inform the interventions in Masvingo through exchange visits. An important outcome from all these co-produced upgrades has been how they have incentivized a resolution by City of Masvingo to convert the rented housing to free-hold title cementing land and housing tenure security for groups whose urban histories have been burdened by forced evictions.

Rejoice is one of the Zimbabwe Young People’s Federation members in Mucheke Masvingo from the golden vision savings scheme. Rejoice thought that after she had finished school a job would come and she would drop her CVs at big companies only to realize that she was not growing any younger. She joined the Tinevimbo Saving group from the mother Federation, a group consisting of women. These women motivated her to do savings and she realized it was good, she saw them buying for each other household appliances with their savings.

Rejoice realized that as a young person, she also had an ambition to own property and assets. She engaged with other young people who had similar dreams. They formed a savings group and drafted a constitution to govern how savings will be managed. Rejoice and her peers had limited financial resources which made them venture into savings and borrowing(loans). The loans were meant to start their own businesses. Rejoice was given the money they saved as a group and she ventured into a small business with quick return (buying and selling of shoes) because the money which she had been given came was supposed to be returned back with interest.

Rejoice used the loan opportunity and bought herself a car where she used to run her buying and selling business from one place to another and is contributing to both her financial stability and meeting local market demand.

In the interview Rejoice indicated that she is not the only one in her group who has managed to buy a car, she also has two other friends who have been successful in getting wheels for themselves. This massive success is in line with Rejoice aspirations which she mentioned

‘I am not only concerned about my growth but to motivate other young people to chase their dreams”

The positive impact of savings extends beyond financial success, it has effectively provided opportunities for other young individuals from engaging in unsafe behavior like drugs and substance abuse. Rejoice success story exemplifies the transformable power of savings not only in enhancing individual lives but also contributing to social economic welfare of the community.

The Institutional Development Pilar oversees the alliance’s (Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation, Zimbabwe Young People’s Federation and Dialogue on Shelter for the Homeless Trust) work. The pillar is responsible for making sure that the alliance is compliant with the laws of Zimbabwe which includes but is not limited to the registration of the Alliance’s three institutions, constitutions and charters which govern the organisation.

The provision of services in cities requires a hybrid of approaches from communities, local authorities, private sector and non-governmental organisations. Working in isolation for solutions to urban problems has become a daunting task, and has often led to much time wasted pointing fingers at one another. Co-owned approaches and experiences across Zimbabwean cities (such as Harare, Bulawayo, Kadoma and Masvingo to mention just a few), have often provided better solutions to the urban problems of housing.