In an effort to promote sustainable development in schools, Zimpapers (1980) Limited, through its vernacular newspaper, Kwayedza, and in partnership with the Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association (ZFRPA), has distributed chicks to 12 schools across the country under the Subscribe and Win Competition.
Recently, the ZFRPA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Zimpapers, which runs from January to December this year, with room for renewal based on the first year's performance.
The partnership seeks to award schools that buy the most newspapers. The winner gets free range 200 chicks and the runners up 100 chicks. This project is being carried out in all the country's provinces as an initiative to empower children and equip them with technical skills.
Speaking during the handover ceremony yesterday, director of livestock production and development in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Sithokozile Sibanda, said there was a need to train both teachers and pupils in keeping free-range chickens.
"It is my sincere hope that knowledge will be imparted to our school pupils on proper rearing of the birds through good agricultural practices and as a ministry, if need be, we have capacity in our personnel to conduct relevant training of staff and pupils at your school at your request," she said.
Dr Sibanda said since the Government's intervention, there had been a steady increase in free-range poultry production.
"Government has played its role as part of climate-proofing livestock production through a Presidential programme which intends to distribute 30 million free-range poultry to 3 million rural and urban households.
"So far over 1,5 million birds have been distributed across all provinces and this is expected to improve income, nutrition and livelihoods of recipient farmers," she said.
Dr Sibanda urged pupils to take up the initiative as a seed to impart knowledge to them the life-long skills of farming as a business through free-range poultry.
"Let the pupils realise that if properly done livestock production and specifically free-range poultry can be a lucrative business venture while providing food and nutrition at household level thereby addressing the national aspirations of NDS1 and the Vision 2030," she said.
Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association secretary-general Ms Beauty Jiji said it was an important day on their calendar as the memorandum between Zimpapers and their organisation had yielded fruits that could transform people's lives.
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"I am particularly excited over the fact that a lot of schools have shown up for this. It shows that we are impacting children as such projects help them in terms of sustainability. We hope to continue working with schools," she said.
Marange High School head Mr William Chimombe expressed gratitude over the initiative as it was going to be of help at their school.
"I am so happy about this initiative as I got to learn more on the rearing of free range-birds and some of the practices that we took for granted.
"As we leave this place, we will take the knowledge acquired and implement it on a much larger scale," he said.
Oriel Girls High School acting head Ms Tafadzwa Gumbochuma said the initiative would go a long way in bringing development to schools.
"I just want to thank the organisers of this initiative as we have learned a lot from it.
"We are not ending here, but we are also going to educate other schools on what we have learned here such that schools will be able to have these projects for sustainability," she said.
