The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Army and FBC Bank yesterday handed over two classroom blocks they constructed at Charleswood Primary School in Chimanimani District.
The gesture, which is part of the nation’s broader Cyclone Idai recovery programme, is set to ease challenges relating to learning space at Charleswood Primary School where buildings were destroyed during the March 2019 tropical storm.
In an interview on the sidelines of the handover ceremony held at the school, 3 Infantry Brigade Commander, Brigadier-General George Chitsva, who was representing Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, said: “This is one of the many projects we are undertaking as an army to help in the development trajectory of the New Dispensation.
“In times of peace, as an army, we have a role to help communities in development initiatives. This is one of our mandates enshrined in the Constitution that we should be assisting communities in development initiatives.”
In a separate interview, FBC Bank’s Mutare branch manager, Mr Olisi Juzeyi said: “We are excited as a bank to be able to reach out to communities in our Community Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. We have similar projects that are meant to assist in community development. We prioritised this project because of the dire need we all witnessed when Cyclone Idai struck.”
The event at Charleswood Primary School is yet another milestone bearing testimony of the fish and water relationship between the military and communities.
Chief Raymond Saurombe, who spoke on behalf of traditional leaders in Chimanimani, said: “We are greatly humbled by efforts of the military in easing our burden as the people of Chimanimani. We will never forget that they (army) were the first to come to our rescue when Cyclone Idai struck.
“Once again, they are actively involved in the recovery efforts. We are also grateful to FBC Bank for finding it worthwhile to help easing our challenges. We are indeed grateful.”
The army provided manpower in the construction of the two classroom blocks, while FBC provided the building material.
