Thinking Beyond Donor funding, Building sustainable Community Wealth Through Local ownership, collective Responsibility

Four new wards, sixteen goats each: the next chapter of a community-built herd

In April 2024, the Edward Ndlovu Memorial Trust (ENMT) handed over 48 goats and a Kalahari Red buck to three study circle  groups  in Gwanda district. They were the Vusanani in Ward 14, Renalitsepo in Ward 15, and Sibambene in Ward 17. It was a modest start, but it was never meant to stay that size on its own. The Pass-On Scheme was built to grow itself, one kidding season at a time, passing goats from one group of beneficiaries to the next until the herd, and the number of families it supports, keeps multiplying long after the original donor funds have been spent.

Two years on, that design is proving out. Vusanani, Renalitsepo and Sibambene now hold 24, 33 and 41 goats respectively, a combined herd of 99 animals including the original buck. A prolonged drought across the 2024-2025 season pushed back the timeline for the first round of pass-ons, and the handover that was due earlier has now been rescheduled for August 2026, giving the goats and the grazing time to recover. Sibambene’s buck, in particular, will be returned to the scheme together with two females does, part of the appreciation arrangement attached to breeding stock.

Passing the herd forward: four new wards in 2026

This year the scheme reaches beyond its original three wards. Four new study circle groups, Bambanani in Ward 14, Silethemba in Ward 15, Vukuzenzele in Ward 17 and Zenzele in Ward 18, are set to receive goats for the first time. Each group will be handed 16 goats, bringing fresh households into the Gwanda Study Circle Farmers Association and extending the scheme’s reach into new corners of the district.

The 2026 intake is being funded in two parts. Ten goats have already been received as part payment from Sifisimpilwenhle, and Amohelang has committed to honouring the remaining 20 goats owed under the final year of its contract with ENMT. Together, these commitments make up the stock that will be shared among the four incoming groups, keeping the scheme’s promise that it grows without leaning indefinitely on new donor money.

Why a pass-on scheme, and not a straightforward handout

ENMT chose the pass-on model deliberately. Rather than distributing goats once and stopping there, each beneficiary group is required to pass on 17 she goats , to the next group waiting in line, following what the scheme calls a pass-on tree. That single design choice changes what the project is really about. It stops being an input-distribution exercise and becomes a community-building one, with every group holding a stake in the success of the group that follows them.

The reasoning behind this goes further than the goats themselves. Goat production has long been a dependable source of both cash income and insurance for households in Gwanda’s drought-prone wards, helping families bridge the gaps in food security that come with an unpredictable season. Goats also breed quickly, adapt well to varied terrain, and cost far less to acquire than cattle, which makes them a practical entry point for households that are building a livestock asset for the first time.

The scheme also feeds directly into ENMT’s wider livestock strategy. As the herd grows, it builds up the stock levels, while the process of enrolling new wards steadily widens membership in the Gwanda Study Circle Farmers Association. A portion of the scheme’s proceeds also goes toward ENMT’s own administration costs, helping the model sustain itself.

What beneficiary groups commit to

Joining the scheme is not simply a matter of receiving animals. Before any goats arrive, a group must have built proper shelters, planted  fodder and has eveidence of fodder banks, veterinary kit and completed training on goat management, and its members must belong to the Gwanda Study Circle Farmers Association. Once the goats are handed over, each beneficiary is expected to keep a vaccination and dosing calendar and maintain stock cards that are inspected and signed off by both ENMT and veterinary officers. The original recipient is also responsible for rearing the animals according to the nutrition, health and hygiene practices covered in their training, standards that carry through the whole pass-on chain.

A model built to outlast its funding

What began with 48 goats and a single buck in three wards has, over two seasons, grown into a 99-strong herd and is now opening its doors to four more communities. The drought years tested the timeline but not the model. As Bambanani, Silethemba, Vukuzenzele and Zenzele prepare to receive their first goats in 2026, they inherit a scheme that was designed from the outset to keep giving well beyond the reach of any single donor cheque, thinking, as ENMT puts it, beyond the donor funds.