The Sunday News
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
PARTNERSHIPS between diasporans and community members have yielded positive results in Bulilima District where 20 clinics and eight schools are under construction with five of the schools set to be operational next year.
These projects are part of efforts by the stakeholders to improve access to health and care and reduce distances walked by learners to schools.
In an interview, Bulilima Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr John Brown Ncube said community members had taken the lead in ensuring development in their areas while the local authority came in to provide technical advice. He said some of the ongoing projects had received cash injections from donors and political leaders among other partners.
“Development within communities is key but the major challenges are finances for various projects. As a local authority, we have encouraged communities to take up the initiative of spearheading development in their areas. The district has recorded good response because at the moment there are 20 clinics and eight schools under construction. The projects are at various stages. Five of the schools are expected to open beginning of the coming year.
“For most of the projects, the communities mobilised resources working with local business people and diasporans that hail from the community.
In other projects, we have Non-Governmental Organisations funding the projects, political leadership, hunters among other partners. As a local authority we offer technical advice to the communities. In all these projects the community is the one which approached us stating the kind of project they wanted to pursue,” he said.
Mr Ncube invited other stakeholders and partners to assist communities with funding for the projects.
He said communities have also been urged to embark on projects to rehabilitate old and dilapidated infrastructure such as schools and clinics. Mr Ncube said efforts were underway to rehabilitate Mabhongwane Dam. He said once the dam was rehabilitated then Mabhongwane irrigation scheme will be rehabilitated.
“We are waiting for funding for this project then it will start. We also want to incorporate a number of partners including diasporans. We have seen the power of private-public partnerships in development,” he said.
Headman Mahunu (Sikhumbuzo Ngwenya) from Bulilima said since Government did not have adequate funds to finance projects throughout the nation, people had to be proactive.
“This development that we are advocating for mainly benefits us as communities. It’s our children who are dropping out of schools because there are no schools nearby. It’s our families and relatives that are suffering because of walking long distances to clinics.
“These projects will not only benefit us in the present moment but they are also a lifetime treasure for our grandchildren and great grandchildren. We need as many investors as possible to help us,” he said. — @DubeMatutu
