Leslie Karumbidza
United Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Trust (UMRRT) has embarked on a community empowerment initiative by opening a sewing club in Sakubva where they donated manual sewing machines to women with disabilities in Sakubva ward 1 as well as several entrepreneurship tools to eight groups comprising of youths and women.
UMRRT Public Relations Officer Tendai Nyamadzi confirmed the initiative spear headed by UMRRT director retired Bishop Sebastian Bakare who took the opportunity to engage women in discussing challenges they face in the communities.
Retired Bishop Bakare said the donation initiative was inspired by expressions of hopelessness from unemployed youths after a tour he did two years ago in Mutare’s oldest high-density suburb.
“Mutare is our home and no one except ourselves can help us come out of poverty and unemployment lines. We should use our hands and skills, which is why we sourced these machines and tools for women, youths and men to use to earn a living,” said Bakare.
He also said UMRRT intends to grow the community’s self-sustaining livelihood empowerment initiatives by sourcing more tools and equipment for more groups.
“I encourage the first group of beneficiaries to effectively make use of the programme and make it successful to encourage benefactors to continue supporting,” he added.
Prudence Sauriri a resident from Sakubva said the tools would help idle youths and keep them off the streets where they are lured to engage in illicit drug abuse such as crystal meth popularly known as (guka).
“In Sakubva, drug abuse by youths is on the increase. The coming of guka is now a problem in our society. These tools for men and women groups will be a stepping stone to get youths organized and engage in work using own personal skills to earn a living,” said Sauriri.
Taurai Chingono another resident from Chikanga praised the residents association for this initiative that will be handy for unemployed youths.
“The initiative shows that you consider the plight of residents. We need more localized empowerment initiatives at grassroots level to empower ourselves as residents and in turn become proactive citizens that contribute towards the development of our city,” said Chingono.
Some of the tools handled over to the groups comprised of electrical sewing machines, carpentry tools such as G-clamps, hammers, planners, chisels as well as mechanic toolboxes.
The tools and machines were distributed depending with the projects intended by a particular group.
