Ndadzingwa Community ECD Centre appeals for building materials

 BY EDUCATION REPORTER

Ndadzingwa Community Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre, located about 3km from Kopa Business Centre along the Jopa–Kopa Highway, is appealing for donations of building materials to complete its two-classroom block.

The centre is registered with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Chimanimani Rural District Council.

Although the initiative was launched following the devastating floods caused by Tropical Cyclone Idai in 2019, construction of the two-classroom block only began about two years ago, with funding from parents and other interested community members. The project, which has now reached window level, has progressed slowly due to financial constraints.

The director of the Ndadzingwa Community ECD project, Mr Thomas Mapanda, is appealing for urgent donations of building materials to enable the centre to complete the classrooms before the onset of the rainy season.

“The Ndadzingwa Community ECD Centre is making great progress towards providing a safe and friendly learning environment for our children. We are appealing for donations of roofing timber, concrete stones, building blocks, roofing sheets and cement.

“As a community, we have been doing our level best to fund the project, but we feel that we urgently need external support to complete the building before the rains. If the rains come before the classroom block is completed, it will mean a difficult experience for our children,” he said.

The Ndadzingwa Community ECD Centre was established in response to the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Idai, which destroyed infrastructure, claimed lives and disrupted livelihoods in the Rusitu Valley. The floods washed away bridges and damaged crossings, while some disclosed number of pupils from Dzingire Primary School lost their lives.

Children from Duri Village in Ndadzingwa are the most affected, as they walk more than 7km to Dzingire Primary School and another 7km on their return journey. The long distances and difficult conditions placed a significant burden on young children, particularly those at ECD level.

The establishment of the Ndadzingwa Community ECD Centre is also intended to improve children’s safety by reducing the risks associated with long journeys, including exposure to potential kidnappers, walking on wet and slippery roads, and crossing flooded streams during the rainy season.

With the rainy season approaching, the community hopes that well-wishers, organisations and other development partners will respond to its appeal and help complete the classrooms, ensuring that young learners have access to a safer and more accessible learning environment.