Zimbabwe witnessed a deluge of young people and artisans emigrating to neighboring countries in search of employment. Pride Musindo (29), the firstborn of four siblings, is no exception. He felt that as the man of the house, he needed to bear the responsibility of caring for others. Pride lost his mother in 2001 when he was pursuing his Grade three studies and was only eight years old.

His father emigrated to South Africa, leaving him and his siblings in the care of their aunt, Anna Mutingwende (55). An enterprising woman in her own right, being a member of a village and savings loan association, running a profitable confectionary business in her community, she quickly becomes the source of inspiration for her nephew.

In Hlanga Village, just 30 kilometers from Chivi Growth Point, Pride now lives with his grandfather and extended family in Ward 10 of Cluster A. With his progression from high school, passing six ordinary-level subjects, including mathematics, Pride envisioned himself gainfully employed and thus pursued a short course in Behavioral Change Awareness and Merchandising. In a country with an increasing unemployment rate, Pride’s disappointment lingered as employment opportunities were lacking, forcing him to emigrate to South Africa illegally in 2013.

Pride’s hope of securing an office job in South Africa soon disappeared as the only opportunities accessible to him included working as a laborer on construction sites. Disappointed though undefeated, Pride used these opportunities to learn brick molding, a skill that would soon turn profitable for him. In May 2022, after a nine-year stay and frustrated by the social and civil unrest targeted toward non-nationals, Pride made his way home following the South African government’s added position on illegal migrants and exemption permits. An undaunted visionary, Pride invested in brick molding equipment to kickstart his business, and also in baking equipment to build on baking skills learned under Anna’s tutorage.

Mastering the craft only marked the first step towards applying Pride’s merchandising skills and realizing a new dream: running a profitable business. To prepare for his future success, Pride joined Budiriro, a village savings and loan association (VSLA), where Anna is a member, hoping to increase his income streams. Budiriro, loosely translated as success in English, has nineteen members, and its primary income is earned through selling confectionaries such as bread, buns, and doughnuts.

Using the savings earned in South Africa and guided by his peer group members trained in group fund development, Pride ventured into doughnut making, complemented by a brick molding business. Selling at US$1 for four doughnuts, Pride makes an average of US$60-70 per month from his doughnuts and uses the profit to buy cement for his brick molding business, and seeds back into the savings group. He secured regular business for his doughnuts from two business owners at Hlanga and Chidyamakono business centers, 3km and 5km from his homestead, respectively, delivering weekly and as the market demands. Informed by a market research process, acknowledging few competitors, he noted a demand for cement bricks as the area begins to modernize its buildings; however, this line of work earns him a meager US$20-30 as he charges US$3 labor per 50kg of cement.

Noting this challenge, at the next meeting, Pride hopes to access a loan and use the proceeds to scale up his doughnut-making business and move his brick molding business from his homestead to Chivi Growth Point, where it is financially viable. The Growth Point is of particular interest to him as it grants access to his agemates and provides opportunities for him to train his peers.

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