UMC donates to 25 schools in Mutasa

MINISTRY of primary and secondary education got a shot in the arm ahead of schools reopening as United Methodist Church (UMC) donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and hygiene materials to 25 schools in Mutasa to combat Covid-19.

UMC district superintendent Reverend Tafadzwa Musona handed 250 buckets, 260 litres liquid soap, 200 face masks, 800 latex gloves and 200 calendars sourced from UMC Norway through the church's development arm - Chabadza Community Development Programme (CCDP) to Mutasa district Covid-19 response taskforce on Friday.

This comes barely a fortnight after the church donated another huge consignment of PPEs and hygiene materials to 20 schools across Buhera in its ongoing efforts to support the containment of the global epidemic which has killed over 220 people and made over 7 000 people sick across the country.

Rev Musona said the church was responding to calls by President Emmerson Mnangagwa for everyone to support government efforts in combating the contagion which has now claimed the lives of about a million people and sicken over 26 million globally.

"We are making this donation with support from the United Methodist Church of Norway with which we have a partnership to help communities, regardless of their religious persuasion as our members don't live in isolation, in response to the President's call for everyone to help fight the spread of this epidemic," Rev Musona said.

She said although the church continues to pray for divine intervention it was crucial for everyone to strictly adhere to World Health Organisation (WHO) and government.
"Our prayer is that God spares us as we have huge families and crowded homes here in Mutasa… even when we pray, we also need to actively play our part in containing the epidemic by following WHO and government guidelines as we hope these schools would," Rev Musona said.

Mutasa rural district council CEO George Bandure who is responsible for the taskforce's resource mobilisation received the materials on behalf of the district.
Mutasa district schools' inspector Chipo Mlambo said the donation was a huge boost in reading schools for reopening.

"We are very thankful for this help as it takes us a step towards meeting all the requirements for each school to reopen," Mlambo said.

Mutasa district development coordinator Tendai Kapenzi who chairs the district Covid-19 response taskforce implored the school heads to ensure that the materials are used for their intended purposes.

"We implore you school heads that you ensure that these materials are used at the schools and nowhere else," Kapenzi said.

Headman Addmore Saungweme said any life that would continue to be lost to the disease was one too many and implored the church to continue its efforts to preserve life.

"Life is sacred. Even one death to this disease is bad. Our wish is that we all survive and only die at God's appointed time.

"We want to implore the church to continue to pray for God's grace in the containment of this disease," Headman Saungweme said.

CCDP also conducted a community awareness campaign in Mutasa district centre, Watsomba business centre and surrounding communities.