ICS Zimbabwe

We, the DOMCCP (Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme) team, are a forward thinking, enthusiastic group of individuals who are committed to working hard together to lay the firm ground work needed for future Progressio ICS cycles to build upon. We have been tasked with forming strong links with DOMCCP representatives and advocates of change in the communities within the different wards of the Mutasa district, in order to begin our activities in the coming weeks.

After a week of in-country training and spending the weekend with our new host families, we were eager to get to work! On Monday 13 July we gathered at the Simukai gates at 8am ready to get started. The first few days have been filled with even more orientation, getting to know the area and figuring out where we can continue the previous cycle’s great work. Plus lots of fun and games with the children who, despite being shy at first because of all the new faces, have warmed to us after many games of football and UNO.

“Makadini” (How are you? - My favourite Shona word, or probably the only Shona word I remember!). 

We are in our fifth week in Nyanga, Zimbabwe. I can’t believe we have been here for over a month! It has been a dream of mine to volunteer in a developing country for as long as I can remember. So far, it has been such an overwhelming experience. The people here are so positive you almost forget for a while how much poverty the community is in. Despite the majority of the community members lacking in basic needs, they still have lots of laughter and smiles to share!

Describe the British in one word: brisk

We, the British are brisk, in the way we walk, the way we talk. More than once, I have been told I speak too quickly and on our way from the DOMCCP (Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme) Team house to the bus stop it is, more often than not, one of the UK volunteers at the front, striding out, pretending they can cope with the level of heat in Manicaland Province.

On the 14 May I was fortunate enough to assist in the reunification of Lloyd B. Lloyd had previously been on the streets before, as his family couldn’t afford to pay school fees, but after being identified as a vulnerable child he was eligible for the BEAM programme. BEAM (The Basic Education Assistance Module) was setup by the government and UNICEF to help orphans and vulnerable children to attend school.

We arrived at camp Chenziwa, in the Bvumba Mountains, on what would be described as a cold winter’s night by the national volunteers, but by the UK volunteers as a warm summers night and we started to set up camp. Being in charge of a group of 22 children we knew we had more on our plate other than Sadza, but it was nothing that we as Team Shumba couldn’t handle!

Living and volunteering in rural Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe, home visits are part and parcel of our work. It provides the volunteers, both UK and Zimbabwean, with real perspective as to why we are here, helps us to gauge feedback and information for the sessions and development work that we are involved in, and is an excellent way of liaising with the community. 

In the UK, we throw away the equivalent of our body weight in waste every seven weeks. That means as a nation we produce enough rubbish to fill up the Albert Hall in two hours. (Source: C. B. Environmental Ltd.) We consume more and more and don’t really think about where our waste goes afterwards. We put it in the bin and then some kind people take it away, far, far from us, put it in landfills, condense it and cover it. Out of sight out of mind. 

On Friday 18 April, we flew from Heathrow and started our Zimbabwean adventure. We were all anxious about what lay ahead but were too excited to show it. We spent our first few days in Harare settling in and adjusting to the lifestyle. On Sunday we got to experience a slice of Zimbabwean culture when we were woken up by the churches three piece band. Having only had minimal church experience back home it was refreshing to see something that I would assume to be dull and boring to be full of life and passion.

Power cuts are just as much a part of Zimbabwe life as Sadza (a traditional Zimbabwean food). My first experience of a power cut was on the first night after. We, the national and UK volunteers, moved into our new home in Regina. Although we had known each other for almost a week now, we still had not fully bonded but this changed as we were suddenly plunged into darkness. We put candles and lamps on and sat in the living room, after talking we realised we had a common interest in music.