For Pindayi Chiduwa and the nine other women of the Tagona Peanut Butter Factory in the Bikita district of rural Zimbabwe, a jar of peanut butter is priceless. A jar of peanut butter is a business, a livelihood. It is a way out of poverty.

Started in 1996 and supported by Zimbabwe OIC’s Business Development Services program, the Tagona Peanut Butter Factory is a thriving business that, as Pindayi states, is “pushing to solve issues of poverty as a female-run, community-based program.” In a country with a crippling 95% unemployment rate—where most of the general population makes less than 60 US cents a day—the Tagona Peanut Butter Factory is revitalizing its community. In addition to selling peanut butter wholesale, the factory has contracts with local hospitals and schools. It provides the women with a viable business, local services with nutritious foods, and members of the community with employment at the factory.

For Pindayi and her colleagues, the profits from their business help keep their children in schools and their homes in order. For farmers, the presence of a local factory allows them to sell their groundnuts at a competitive price year-round. For the entire community, who came together to build the factory and support their wives, sisters, mothers and daughters, the factory has provided employment and strengthened community bonds.

OIC International believes in sustainable, community-based change. The Tagona Peanut Butter Factory is an example of how a community can be transformed when individuals become self-reliant. You can learn more about Pindayi and the Tagona Peanut Butter Factory in our upcoming short documentary series, and to find out more about OIC International’s programs, visit www.oici.org.

Sincerely,

Your OICI International Team