Harnessing Youth Potential (HYP) project is a 3-year peace-building intervention that improves youth livelihoods by increasing their opportunities to generate income. The project is being implemented in Matobo district (Matabeleland South) and Tsholotsho district (Matabeleland North) in Zimbabwe. Three components define this intervention, and these are Peacebuilding, economic empowerment, and climate change. Goat breeding is a major economic component of this intervention where youths breed Matabele and Boer crossbred goats, multiply them and sell them for profit as a “Farmers’ Network”.

According to Forbes Magazine (2017), 95% of the economically active people in Zimbabwe are out of work. This leaves youths in Matabeleland vulnerable to poverty which in turn pushes them into anti-social activities and conflicts. On the other hand, climate change further erodes youth sources of livelihoods as it presents additional economic challenges such as drought and livestock decimation.

The HYP project reaches out to at least 6680 people (60% of whom are girls and young women), empowering them to commercialize goat breeding for their improved livelihoods. The goat breeding project focuses on improving the indigenous Matabele breed through cross-breeding with the exotic boer bucks. The offspring grows bigger and sells better at the goat markets than the indigenous breed. Our activities in the region also address the climate change debacle by promoting environmentally friendly initiatives such as tree planting (afforestation), use of organic agricultural methods and fodder production to supplement goat feed during lean seasons.

Youth improved livelihoods are improved through adequate capacity building that empowers youths to identify economic opportunities within their locale. Adequate training in goat breeding and entrepreneurship enables commercializing of goat breeding. This increases youths' sources of income, exposes them to monthly disposable income, and promotes diversification of youth income-generating activities. Peacebuilding is fundamental in enabling the goat farmers network to work harmoniously together especially in sharing experiences, addressing common challenges, and market identification.