Anglican Church aims for self-sustainability

GWERU — The Anglican Church Central Region is working tirelessly to complete a range of projects
within the Midlands province, aiming to achieve self-sustainability.
In an interview, Bishop Ignatius Makumbe expressed the church's determination to respond to the
needs and desires of society by racing to complete various projects in the province.

Our goal as a church is to become self-sustainable by the end of 2023. To achieve this, we are
focusing on completing numerous projects that will address the issue of youth unemployment,
especially among university and college graduates, Bishop Makumbe stated.
One of the notable projects undertaken by the church is the construction of a three-storey building
in Gwerus Central Business District.

Commenced in early August of this year, the building is expected to become a vital support system
for the local business sector and significantly boost cash inflow upon its commissioning in December.
The first floor of the building will be dedicated to a grocery retail trader, providing convenient access
to essential goods for the local community. The second floor will consist of office spaces available for
rent to individuals and companies, offering a conducive environment for businesses to flourish. The
third floor will be reserved for church-related activities, further strengthening the Anglican Church's
presence in the region.

Bishop Makumbe confirmed that the funding of the building has come from contributions from eight
members of the church and partly from St Patricks’ solar power project.
The St Patricks’ solar power project was commissioned early last year, harvesting 157 kilowatts of
solar energy to St Patricks’ Mission and its engineers recently completed the metering to improve
the project’s efficiency.

The church also started a five mega-watt plant which is at the visibility stage where experts are
studying the probability of its viability and is expected to be completed soon.
The plant is expected to feed into the national grid and will charge ZESA in a bid to alleviate
continued load shedding in the country and create jobs for the youth.

On security issues, the church has its own security company trading under the name Partmos and
also enjoys business partnership with Champions Regular Trading Insurance Company.
The church also responded to the education sector and waved support by building Holy Cross School
in Gokwe that is still work in progress.
Bishop Makumbe emphasised that these projects are just the beginning, with more initiatives
planned to enhance self-sustainability.

He urged the congregation and community members to rally behind the churchs endeavours,
highlighting the importance of collaboration and unity in achieving their goals.

We believe that by completing these projects and creating opportunities for employment and
economic growth, we can contribute positively to the development of the Midlands province and its
people, he said.