About Hlekweni

Hlekweni is a rural training centre outside Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, which specialises in bio-intensive agriculture, and also offers practical training courses on subjects from building and carpentry to garment-making and early childhood education.


bio-intensive food garden

Hlekweni was founded in 1967 by Roy and Irene Henson as a partial response to problems facing young primary school leavers in the late sixties unable to go on to secondary education or find formal employment. Training in appropriate rural skills was hoped to assist them living in their villages, and help uplift rural life generally more... farm Hlekweni is built on Valindre Farm A, 1,800 acres in size and mainly concentrating on cattle more...
primary school With over 250 pupils, Samathonga primary school on Hlekweni grounds came 5th in academic performance in a district of 91 primary schools in 2008 more... clinic Efforts to establish a clinic had been made from 1978, and these may finally be coming to fruition more...

trainees by year
1970 : 951980 : 1071990 : 3652000 : 130
1971 : 1191981 : 1171991 : 2692001 : none
1972 : 2131982 : 4351992 : 3552002 : 110
1973 : 2181983 : 4671993 : 3152003 : 103
1974 : 3211984 : 3241994 : 3302004 : 602
1975 : 2101985 : 3401995 : 2952005 : 541
1976 : 1981986 : 5261996 : 3452006 : 505
1967 : 451977 : 2351987 : 5081997 : 285 2007 : 224
1968 : 761978 : 3061988 : 4991998 : 2642008 : 185
1969 : 1041979 : 3101989 : 3901999 : 212
total:11,598

number of trainees by year

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