The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa Chipinge Correspondent
THREE non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have mobilised US$500 000 to assist disaster-prone schools in Chipinge and Chimanimani districts.
The NGOs — World Vision, Save the Children and Plan International — partnered the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) after a recent survey revealed that majority of schools in the two districts were not conversant with disaster safety and prevention measures.
Officially launching the programme at St Charles Lwanga Secondary School on Monday, the provincial development coordinator, Mr Edgar Seenza, urged the communities to establish viable village structures to disseminate information about natural disasters.
Mr Seenza hailed the initiative by the three NGOs saying the grant will help empower vulnerable communities with skills to rescue themselves from future dangers.
“We need to revive our village structures and come up with an emergency contact database which we can urgently call in case of natural disasters.
“We also need to identify disaster assembly points in our respective communities so that we can rescue ourselves in time of disasters. This grant must be used for intended purposes,” he said
World Vision disaster risk coordinator Dr Tapiwa Muzengeri said the programme would run in rural schools in the two districts.
“World Vision together with Plan International and Save the Children have advanced US$500 000 which will be used in Chipinge and Chimanimani districts to raise awareness in communities about disaster risk preparedness given the frequent occurrences of natural disasters in these communities,” said Dr Muzengeri.
Chief Chenjerai Maosa Muusha thanked Government and development partners for capacitating rural communities.
He said they were now able to assist themselves in case of disaster.
“As the traditional leaders we appreciate this kind of help and hope our people will now able to react when disasters occurred,” he said.
Chipinge and Chimanimani have of late been prone to natural disasters such as floods and earth tremors.
