Villagers unite towards peace, development

Charles Matsinde

The villagers, from Manjengwa, Nhamoinesu, Chikomo, Muungani, Madzivanyika, Magunda and Matinyanya villages in Wards 5 and 6 are part of the Kudzinga Nhamo Kushinga Society which acts as a platform for discussion of issues affecting their areas.

The Kudzinga Nhamo Kushinga Society members have formed a Peace Club as well which allows them to preach issues of peace and focus on development of their communities.

About 100 villagers, 55 of which are women, form the Peace Club.

The Peace Clubs are an initiative of Heal Zimbabwe Trust (HZT) aimed at promoting peace and tolerance which would culminate in developed communities.

During a Community Based Organisations (CBO) training and outreach programme conducted by Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CIZC) on Tuesday in Buhera West, the villagers said that as a result of the Peace Club, they had managed to resolve conflicts, promote healing as well as emphasizing the importance of peace and tolerance during election periods.

The CIZC training programme is part of the coalition’s efforts to equip CBOs with fundraising, networking, community mobilization tools as well as to equip the CBOs with information on registration procedures.

Alouisia Mazadza

A female interviewee, Alouisia Mazadza from Manjengwa village said the Peace Clubs had set the tone for development in their area.

“Previously, there was so much acrimony among communities due to the lack of tolerance when it comes to political affiliation. But we have managed to get quite a number of villagers to join the Peace Club and during our meetings, we discuss issues of peace, tolerance and how we can implement development projects together regardless of political affiliation,” said Mazadza.

Buhera West is among the areas that recorded high cases of political violence during the 2013 polls.

Another interviewee, Charles Matsinde said political violence in Buhera West was mostly being perpetrated by youths and said that as a Peace Club, they were targeting the young generation as well.

“You will find out that most youths in his area have nothing to do because they are not employed and that puts them at the mercy of politicians who manipulate them to perpetrate political violence. So we are targeting the youths as well because we believe that if they get involved in developmental projects, they will not be vulnerable to abuse.

“The fact that they are working with people from different political affiliations in the Peace Club would also go a long way in promoting tolerance and unity,” said Matsinde.

The Secretary of Kudzinga Nhamo Kushinga Society, Gilford Chibvongodze said that as a result of the Peace Club, villagers were beginning to learn how to confront their problems collectively and to resolve conflicts in an amicable manner.

“At the moment, we are implementing farming projects as a community regardless of political affiliation and that creates an element of unity. We have also been focusing on improving our road network while giving assistance to the old aged in our communities,” said Chibvongodze.

Speaking during the training programme, CIZC Policy and Research Officer, Thulani Mswelanto emphasised the importance of CBOs in developing communities.

He said: “CBOs, once properly registered and equipped with the necessary skills to effectively operate are very much essential for the development of grassroots communities. They are also critical for promoting peace and development hence our emphasis on equipping them with skills to effectively carry out their work.”