National Movement of Catholic Students (NMCS) converged at Kriste Mambo from the 17th -21st of April for their Easter conference where they engaged in community service doing some charity work at Manhinga village, a children’s home, where they assisted with harvesting maize and beans and also planted some trees .
Manhinga Village was founded in 1982 by Dr Dijaga, a white man who was living in Mutare back then with the zeal of helping the needy in that community. The village which is owned by AFM church in Zimbabwe caters for the orphans and currently houses 90 children from all over the country through the aid of social welfare.
Manhinga also has a Primary School at the same place that provides the intellectual aspect to the children housed at the village.
Subsistence farming is practiced thereby providing the residents with home grown food, different crops and vegetables. They also have four dairy cows that provide milk for the children and 34 beef cows and honey farming as well.
Members of NMCS who visited the place were so curious to see the children, unfortunately only 4 infants were present as the rest of the community has been taken for holiday.
“During holidays we dispatch children into the communities. Some go to their relatives and those without relatives go to our church institutions in the country and to some willing church members for them to learn to integrate with different people so that it will not be difficult for them when they engage the community” said Ms Muzii the village coordinator.
She went on to express her gratitude to all the students for making things lighter for them especially in the harvesting aspect.
“As I have told you before that during holidays we dole out children to some communities, it was going to be very difficult for us to do all the field work alone” she said.
Currently the Village has 4 students at Midlands State University, one at University of Zimbabwe and a good number at Chibuwe High School in Chipinge and Rufaro High School in Masvingo.