Embedded Files
Read about the Chiwundura leadership experience and how LAINS is building grassroots leadership capacity in rural Zimbabwe communities.
How Local Leaders Are Building A Better Future In Chiwundura
By Cosmas Tendai Nemutenzi | LAINS Volunteers | March 2026In the Midlands province which is at the heart of Zimbabwe, a powerful change is happening in the Chiwundura communal lands. in general for a very long time, people thought leadership was just about having a nice title such as CEO or being the boss. The community is showing that real leadership is about what you do on the ground, how you work with others, and how you help your neighbours stand on their own two feet.
In the Midlands province which is at the heart of Zimbabwe, a powerful change is happening in the Chiwundura communal lands. in general for a very long time, people thought leadership was just about having a nice title such as CEO or being the boss. The community is showing that real leadership is about what you do on the ground, how you work with others, and how you help your neighbours stand on their own two feet.
In this area there is a new Chief under whose juridscation young women are solving local arguments and villagers starting their own businesses. Chiwundura is becoming a like what we read in textbooks where a rural area can nothing going all the way up. Here is the story of how different types of leaders are coming together to change their home for the better.
In this area there is a new Chief under whose juridscation young women are solving local arguments and villagers starting their own businesses. Chiwundura is becoming a like what we read in textbooks where a rural area can nothing going all the way up. Here is the story of how different types of leaders are coming together to change their home for the better.
A Chief Who Drives Change
A Chief Who Drives Change
When the fifth Chief Chiwundura was recently installed, it wasn’t just a big party with traditional songs and ceremonies but It was a sign that the role of a traditional leader is changing. In the modern world, a Chief is expected to do more than just protect old customs they are now expected to be the force that pushes the community to greater heights.The new Chief has a very clear to do list which includes
Driving Development
He is responsible for making sure local government works well and starting projects that help everyone. Such projects should be inclusive in nature by also catering for people living with disabilities
Protecting Food Supplies
He manages the Zunde raMambo (the Chief’s granary) to make sure families who are struggling have enough to eat. Whilst doing this he encourages those who can to ensure they produce more in their fields
Bringing People Together
The Chief should be a unifier He acts as a bridge in his community, connecting the national government with the local people so they can understand each other better. Chief Mutambara has been applaud by his people for doing well in ths area.
This shows us that for a leader to be respected today, they must adapt and move with speed to handle the problems of the modern ever changing world.
Women Dreaming Big
To really change an economy in the right direction, there is need for leaders who also think big. The Women’s League in Chiwundura did exactly that by training over 500 women to mass produce everyday items like soap and petroleum jelly. Instead of just making enough for their own families, these women shifted their focus to building community run small industries. This is in line with what the minister of state honourable Owen Mudha (MP) has been advoacting through Villgae Business Units. By working with the Women’s Bank, they turned their political energy into real money and business. This indeed is visionary leadership creating a ideas which translates local skills into making a profit.
Working Together for the Planet
The Whole World is currently battling with climate change problems that no one can solve alone. A group called 4-H Zimbabwe collaborated their project focused on water, women, and food with the Chiwundura women. They installed solar powered boreholes and started gardens managed by women to fight water shortages and hunger whilst at the same time improving their livelihoods.
In order to make sure they weren't just repeating work that the government was already doing, they signed an official agreement with the Ministry of Lands through the Midlands province aswell as the DDC offices. This way, their solar boreholes worked alongside the government’s programs that were being implemented in the villages. Thet shared resources and plans, they ensured the project would last a long time.
Giving Young Women a Voice
Perhaps the most touching change is happening in small villages like Zvenungu. For a long time, young women were kept in the background as a cultural norm when big decisions were made. However thanks to the "Empowering Peace" initiative by Nkabazwe Community Radio, young women are being trained to lead and solve conflicts. Now, these young women actually sit on the boards that make decisions for the village. They have even started a special subcommittee just for young women's issues so that young girls can discuss women sentive issues alone. Yvonne Chauke put it that, they are making sure young women are "not just seen but heard".
Villagers as Business Owners
Under a program called Rural Development 8.0, Chiwundura is setting up eight Village Business Units (VBUs). These are not meant to be just charity projects but are real businesses like fish ponds and nutrition gardens powered by the sun.
Donor dependence syndrome was removed through ensuring the people living there stop seeing themselves as people receiving aid and start seeing themselves as entrepreneurs.
The Power of Trust in Health
Leadership at times is just about being a trusted by neighbour. When a program to prevent a painful eye disease called trachoma started, many people were scared to take the medicine because of rumours.
The doctors from outside the village couldn't go round the problem, but the local Community Health Workers and traditional leaders came in totheir rescue. What changes everything was because people already knew and trusted them, these local leaders were able to explain the truth, stop the rumours, and help everyone get the medicine they needed.
The Road Ahead
Even with all this great news, there are still a lot to be done because some people in the community still feel that going to council meetings is a waste of time because they feel promises are often never fulfilled. This shows that the next big step for leaders in Chiwundura is educating the people so that they understand where programs are coming from and where they are going.
The story of Chiwundura teaches us that real lasting change happens when everyone plays their part whether it’s a Chief acting as a development officer, a young woman leading a peace meeting, or a farmer running a local business. This is the new face of leadership, and it is building a brighter future for everyone in the district.
Lains has a Global Leadership Initiative aimed at fostering good leadership traits READ MORE
About the Author
Cosmas Tendai Nemutenzi is the founder of LAINS Volunteers, leading structured volunteerism and CSR collaboration initiatives in Gweru, Zimbabwe. Has worked in collaboration with SOET in Chiwundura.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse