A community in conflict is unable to make progress in a bid to develop itself. Conflict saps energy and demobilizes communities from applying collective agency.

At Enyandeni Resettlement scheme in village 6, MPT has held meetings with the community to transform the local traditional leadership (VIDCO) so that it becomes inclusive of women and youth and that it increasingly adopts democratic ways of leadership. The centre pin of this is the ability to tolerate different viewpoints. The

community, with the assistance of MPT has constructed a dam that is a source of livelihood (gardens) and a watering point for local livestock. The construction of the dam brought together persons from different political parties and also provoked conversations about the role of the youth and women in the development of communities.

The vegetable garden that is irrigated from the dam is run by a committee comprising men, women and youth. Five kilometers away is the Peace Centre where MPT is supporting a vegetable garden that seeks to resolve conflict, provide nutrition from the garden, amplify the voices of the youth, address gender disparities and broadly deal with the culture of lack of productivity that MPT has identified as a contributing factor to poverty in rural areas. MPT chose this particular ward because of its history of politically motivated violence and conflict over a long period.

In order to address what MPT views as “the culture of lack of productivity” that has taken root, within the communities at the Peace centre a program of mentorship has been introduced.  Four adults who have thriving gardens in the area, have taken under their wings six youths i.e three females and three males  whom they mentor in the culture of hard work. They grow vegetables for domestic use. The adults demonstrate the discipline required to achieve this, whilst the Agritex office provides technical expertise. After six months a certificate of completion will be awarded. Two different crops will have been harvested considering that most vegetables mature after three months.

Different partisan allegiances have led to polarization within the communities. Although there is still a lot that needs to be done to solidify peace and co-existence within the community, MPT is relieved that currently the community is in constant dialogue to find common cause in developing its community. The chicken project at the Peace centre is not just a livelihood project but it brings together women from different political parties. They learn to address common challenges together. They have an asset to protect and they act collectively to do so. They get to learn that collective effort breeds more success than partisan division.

Youth continue to advocate to have their voices heard and they have been roped into existing community leadership committees in which they are making a positive contribution. The rules and the constitution that the group has crafted shun partisanship and place emphasis on collective responsibility.  As work is being carried out in these projects, discussions centered around practical issues that confront the community take place. The issue of domestic violence, under age sex, early marriages, the abuse of power by officialdom at whatever level, the poor school results and the under resourced clinic all form part of the agenda for collective discussion and solving. When MPT and the community sit down to assess progress the conclusion is that much has been achieved. However, each time there are harmonized elections in the country, the harmony within communities is sorely tested.