The Chaya Tree Project

EMPOWERING WOMEN. FEEDING FAMILIES.

Chaya, known for its nutritional benefits, is more than just a plant; it’s a community lifeline. The Chaya Tree Project focuses on cultivating Chaya through women’s cooperatives, enhancing local economies, and promoting health and nutrition. We desire to see a well-nourished Zimbabwean population and healthy communities engaged in profitable enterprises.

Our women’s cooperatives cultivate Chaya for personal, household, and commercial use. Through value-added processing, Chaya’s accessibility and market presence is enhanced, ensuring sustained benefits for women’s cooperatives, their communities, and the Zimbabwean people.

Choose Your Impact

The Chaya Tree Project

When MATTER donor Sandi Young learned that Chaya was one of the most nutritious plants in the world and one of the easiest to grow, she partnered with MATTER to start the Chaya Tree Project. Not only is this project addressing the malnutrition crisis in Zimbabwe, but it’s also empowering the women there. Through farming co-ops, the women receive training on how to grow and cook Chaya. They are also learning ways to use the crop to generate extra income for their families.

Learn about Chaya facts and nutrition information HERE

“It’s a privilege to work with MATTER to do all this. There’s some amazing talent on the team. We’re just going to keep trying to make it better and better. Hopefully we can take this to countries beyond Zimbabwe and solve nutritional issues in other areas. The prospect of all that is very inspiring.” – Sandi Young

Chaya Project Objectives

Community Engagement: Build new connections within communities to foster a robust market for Chaya and empower women in Zimbabwe communities through the establishment of Chaya Co-Ops.

Operational Excellence: Launch and optimize operations at the Chidobe Chaya Processing Center (CCPC) for post-harvest processing.

Market Development: Strategically establish and expand markets for Chaya products including capsules, bulk dried Chaya, and frozen Chaya.

Women’s Chaya Cooperatives

We are expanding our network to empower more communities through the establishment of cooperatives. Each cooperative receives comprehensive support in harvesting techniques, quality control, and market access.

Chidobe Chaya Processing Center (CCPC)

The CCPC is at the heart of our mission, where we transform raw chaya into market-ready products. Our processing center is equipped with modern facilities and trained local teams to ensure high-quality production.