The Sunday News
Tendai Bhebe, Sunday News Reporter
THE National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has donated roofing sheets to classrooms and teachers’ cottages at Deli Primary School in Nyamandlovu, whose roofing was blown off by winds during floods that were experienced in 2012.
NRZ public relations manager Mr Nyasha Maravanyika said it was part of the company’s corporate social responsibility to help communities in need.
“We started working with the school in 2012. Despite the economic challenges in the country, we want to make sure that we also play our role of corporate social responsibility as NRZ. We are a big organisation that helps communities with different kinds of challenges.
“As the NRZ we have a responsibility that focuses on the education sector. Officially the school requested for eight sheets of asbestos but we came with 10. We are quite impressed by the renovations that are taking place,” he said.
“We have been working with the school for a long time not because of these donations but they use our trains as their mode of transport. We were touched by the state of the school which was close to collapsing due to the bad weather conditions.”
Deli Primary School headmaster Mr Todd Chakawanda said the school was facing a number of challenges.
“Our school has been facing different challenges but infrastructure has been a major one. The winds affected us in 2012 and up until this year nothing had been done,” he said.
The School Development Committee chairperson Mr Thabani Sibanda expressed gratitude to NRZ for the kind gesture.
“We are grateful for they have helped us to renovate the school, it has been facing challenges since 2012 after the floods destroyed some of the buildings. School children have been struggling especially during the rainy season. Teachers did not have proper accommodation too,” said Mr Sibanda.
He, however, appealed for learning material.
“We are appealing for help from well wishers as the school does not have enough learning material as it was also destroyed. Some classrooms have no chairs or benches and textbooks,” he said.
@TendaiBhebe
