What started as a weekly group discussion has grown into a busy project that is turning lives around.
The group leader, Mavis Maravanyika, believes in creating a safe haven in which local people can exchange ideas.
“We come here in solidarity. We used to meet every Thursday to discuss our trials and tribulations but we decided that we must not be idle. That’s when we came up with the idea of teaching each other how to bake, cook and sew.”
The community has a lot of orphans and each week the group provides the children with food.
“We cook and give the food to the orphans, but we want to expand and provide the food on a daily basis. A Good Samaritan donated a cooker but it’s not enough so we supplement with fire wood,” added Maravanyika.
“When I first came here I did not know how to thread a needle but now I am better equipped. I can do useful things with my hands,” said one community member, Spiwe Nyoni.
MP for Kuwadzana constituency, Nelson Chamisa, through the Constitutional Development Fund, donated six sewing machines to enable the community to improve its business.
These projects have enabled many orphaned children to go to school well fed and with proper school uniforms.
“We believe that it is everyone’s child. It is our duty to inspect the wellbeing of the children and make alterations on all the uniforms,” said the secretary of the group, Rita Gurupira. “Sometimes we give them pocket money and we pay school fees for them from the money we collect from the proceeds of the garments we sew and the cakes we bake.”
Apart from community development projects, the center has a Child Line office whose doors are open to anyone in the community.
“We set up the emergency office because we know that domestic violence exists everywhere. Some people are abused and are afraid to report it. We hold our investigations and provide counselling to the victims,” said Violet Nyawasha, the social worker at the Childline office.
Post published in: News