It was early breakfast, just after 6 am, today
as we were going to Mutare, about 270 km from Harare, so leaving about 7am. I was travelling with four of the
folk from Presbytery and further along we met up with a second car, driven by
Paul Neshangwe, which had the General Secretary and Chief Finance Officer of
the Uniting Presbyterian Church, here from South Africa, a representative from
the Presbyterian Church USA, and the Convenor of the Presbytery Church in
Society Committee.
We all arrived in Mutare around 10.30 going to
the African Regional Resource Centre, a relatively new Presbytery project which
we were there to visit. We were met by Des Becker who, with his wife Sally,
heads up the implementation of this new activity. It started as a result of
Cyclone Idai and the damage that was caused in the Mutare area. This led to a
realisation that there was the gap in the provision of resources to offer a
rapid response to such events, which are far from unknown.
A complex of buildings, a bit like a mini
industrial estate, has been made available at a reasonable rent, though the
long term hope is that they may be able to buy this set of buildings. We were
taken on a tour of the extensive site. Initially it had been hoped to undertake
this project in partnership with a few different denominations, but the others
who were considering it dropped out leaving the Presbyterians to go it alone,
though with plenty of goodwill from others.
The site is effectively divided into two. One
half is where the Presbytery folk are developing their work. The other half is
let out commercially to companies whose rental supports the project by
generating income, though there is a deliberate attempt to encourage companies whose
work is complementary to the philosophy of the project to take up the rental
opportunities. So, there is one company making window frames, the local Coca
Cola distribution centre, and a company who provide the infrastructure for
boreholes is about to move in. On the other side of the complex there is some
warehouse space where they hope to store non-perishable items that will then be
available for rapid response in the event of a disaster, though they are not
yet at the stage where they have managed to begin a collection. Another aspect
of this initiative is providing space where people can develop skills which
will enable them to attain skills and become self-sufficient.
They are looking at partnership in various ways.
For example, there is the facility for a fuel station at the front, and the
plan is to open this as a source of income generation. There is space for
workshops and space for offices. As well
as Des and Sally, there are a number of other local people involved who were
present, notably the minister of St Columba’s, Mutare, Everisto Musedza, a
friend of mine who translated in the course I taught at Kuwadzana back in 2011.
We then gathered in a meeting which gave us
further insights into what is happening.
It is now firmly adopted as a Presbytery project and the officers of the
denomination, present from South Africa, were clearly impressed and supportive,
encouraging them to write it up in suitable ways and to apply for funding. They
are looking at a variety of income generating projects, like the fuel outlet
plan. They are very keen to develop the rapid response facility, but do need
funding and other support to do so. There is also a lot of work to be done to
develop the skills training section, including a question. Being raised by
some, as to whether some of that should be located in the communities where the
people they seek to help live, rather than on the centre’s site.
However, the biggest need at the moment is for
further resourcing. For example, we saw a room where they would like to develop
an Internet cafe and in which they are already running classes. At the moment
they only have seven laptops available for students, which limits classes to fourteen,
if two share a computer.
Good contacts have been made, not least with the
civic authorities. They have provided
poly water piping and solar lights to victims of Cyclone Idai, and would like
to purchase more of both for further work. They would also like to engage in
water supply issues and the provision of boreholes on their own account. They
had hoped to partner with the company that is moving on to the site, but that
company has declined that sort of partnership.
It is an encouraging story, with lots of insight
and initiative playing its part, but one that needs a lot of further development.
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