Makomborero Zimbabwe is excited to have launched a community grant programme, called Mutsidzira, which means “to revive” in Shona. The selection process has begun and projects will take off in January 2021.
Zimbabwean cultures are generally well known for their togetherness and community spirit. The saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ is truly modelled on Zimbabwe, especially in the high-density suburbs and the rural areas where most of our students come from. Sadly, these are the very communities that are most lacking economically. This has given rise to crime, lack of education, drug and alcohol abuse and without a doubt, we see less and less community spirit. A lot of young people in these areas are full of great ideas for businesses and can easily think of many practical ways to solve the problems that very often affect them first hand. Unfortunately, they have no access to funds and their bright ideas remain just that. Some of our Makomborero students struggle to fill their time during their gap years which can be tough, both emotionally and mentally.
The Mutsidzira Community Grant was started to go some way towards addressing these problems. Past Makomborero students can apply for this grant and are asked to demonstrate that their ideas are original, will yield profits, will preserve, protect and even improve the environment. Most of all, the proposed projects must demonstrate that they will bring the community together by having high volunteer involvement within the chosen area of operation. It is a wonderful opportunity for past students to give back to communities by imparting the knowledge and education they gain during their time with Makomborero Zimbabwe.
At the heart of all this is community! Our vision is to see communities become self-sustainable with our young people taking the lead. Mutsidzira as a grant programme is passionate about seeing communities revived and given a new hope and our young people take ownership of what goes on around them.
Mutsidzira – our communities are in our hands!
If you missed our recent blog about how the Mutsidzira logo was created – check it out here.
By Mercy Mutandwa
Mercy Mutandwa is the Operations Manager for Makomborero Zimbabwe.