It was all smiles on Wednesday as 120 young people graduated with vocational skills in baking, catering, horticulture, poultry and dressmaking at Tariro Youth Centre in Hopley.
For a community that has carried more than its fair share of hardship — not by chance, but as the consequence of deep, structural inequality — the graduation felt like a turning point.
In Hopley, a peri-urban settlement of thousands on Harare’s southern edge, basic services, schools and decent livelihood opportunities have too often been denied, and many young people, especially young women, have been left facing child marriage, limited education and sexual reproductive health challenges with few safe options for earning a living.
“I am elated today. I bake with confidence now. I run a small shop in Harare Central Business District where I prepare cakes, muffins, tea loaf, biscuits and cupcakes. I am currently earning about US$200 a month, which I am using to expand my business and to support my parents with food, clothes and rent,” said Natasha Madhaure, 24, a baking graduate whose story captured what the day was really about — turning skills into income and dignity.
ActionAid Zimbabwe Country Director Dr. Selina Pasirayi framed the moment in terms of possibility.
“The young men and women seated before us today are the living proof of that conviction. Through Vocational Training, they have acquired real, marketable skills in horticulture and poultry, in baking and catering, and in dressmaking. These are not abstract pieces of paper. They are the foundations of livelihoods, of small enterprises, of household incomes, and of independence. They are the difference between merely surviving and truly thriving,” she said.
Dr. Selina then left the graduates with three challenges: to put their skills to work and start small if they must but start, to hold on to the solidarity they had built because it is itself a livelihood and source of strength, and to become ambassadors of possibility in Hopley so that the young person watching them today sees a reason to believe their own life can change.
Ruvimbo Nhunhama, ActionAid Zimbabwe Women’s Rights and Economic Justice Manager, reminded the young people why the programme matters.
“At ActionAid Zimbabwe, we firmly believe that every young person deserves the opportunity to realise their potential, regardless of their background or circumstances,” she said.
The Dignified Lives and Decent Livelihoods for Young People project was established by ActionAid Zimbabwe with support from the Danish Television through Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke. The project, which ran from 2021 to 2026, was designed to advance youth empowerment and strengthen community resilience among young people in Hopley.
The skills celebrated yesterday were delivered directly at the Waterfalls Zimbabwe Global Platform Youth Empowerment Centre by expert mentors. The City of Harare provided baking and catering training, Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre ZWE taught horticulture and poultry, Vichelle Feminine delivered dressmaking and Friendship Bench provided psychosocial support training to the youth volunteers who were also recognised during the ceremony.
Trainers spoke of commitment and transformative change among the graduates. Baking trainer Sinikiwe Mhandu from the City of Harare commended her learners for passion and engagement and noted that six boys graduated from her class, dismissing the idea that baking is only for girls and women.
The Catering trainer Ester Mutale shared that one of her students is now employed at Rainbow Towers Hotel, proof that vocational skills can open doors to stable income.
Poultry and horticulture graduate Allan Chinhoi put it plainly:
“Learning poultry and horticulture gave me hope. I now understand how to turn skills into income, not just dreams. Today I’m doing chicken rearing and earning income from it. Most importantly, I’m spared from taking drugs that many unemployed youths in Hopley are still doing.
The dressmaking graduates stole the ceremony, strutting out in tracksuits, African dresses, bags and aprons they made themselves. Every stitch was proof: these skills are already turning into livelihoods.
As the ceremony ended, the graduates left the podium carrying more than certificates. They carried confidence, direction and the ability to turn training into livelihoods.
Action Aid Zimbabwe