Bulawayo, 24 September 2026: As part of Christian Care Week commemorations, Christian Care Zimbabwe donated groceries to vulnerable beneficiaries in Bulawayo.
The donation, comprising flour, soap,cooking oil and sugar, benefited 50 households at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) in Njube.
Christian Care Week is observed each year to reflect the organisation’s mission to serve the poor and disadvantaged. Established in 1967 by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Christian Care works across the country in humanitarian relief, food security, water and sanitation, and livelihoods.
On 22 September 1967, Christian Care was established by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches as the service arm of the churches. Nearly six decades later, we mark Christian Care Week (22–29 September) under the theme “59 Years of Faith, Resilience and Service: Sailing Forward in Hope.”
Our logo — a ship carrying the cross of Christ through turbulent waters — captures our journey. Since 1967, Christian Care has sailed through wars, droughts, displacement, disease outbreaks and economic hardship, yet by God’s grace we remain afloat.
Over 59 years, Christian Care and our partners have transformed more than 100,000 lives across Zimbabwe. Our impact includes:
• 80+ piped water schemes and 980+ boreholes
• 1,200+ latrines and 20,000+ sanitation and hygiene kits
• 21 weirs, 8 fenced wetlands, and 120+ nutrition gardens
• Thousands of chickens, goats, cattle, rabbits and turkeys distributed to rebuild livelihoods
• 20 fishery projects
None of this would be possible without our member churches, communities, government, Act for Peace, The Charitable Foundation, UN agencies, and local and moreinternational partners.
Christian Care Board representatives, joined by the secretariat, led by A/Chief of Party, recently undertook organisational support visits to project sites in Bikita and Chiredzi, reflecting the Board’s ongoing engagement in guiding the organisation’s programme delivery and its commitment to the communities Christian Care serves.
The visits gave the participating Board representatives a firsthand opportunity to provide organisational support to project teams, assess implementation progress, engage with staff and key stakeholders, and identify opportunities for continued collaboration.
In Bikita, the team was warmly welcomed by the community with song and a shared meal — a gesture that reflected the strength of the partnership built over years of collaboration. The delegation also toured the wetland project, gaining firsthand insight into the environmental and community-based work being carried out in the area.
The team then travelled to Chiredzi, where they visited the school supported under the Chitope Japanese Embassy project. There, Board representatives engaged directly with community members who have played a central role in the project’s success, learning more about its impact and the efforts needed to sustain it.
“The participation of our Board representatives in these visits reflects their deep commitment to the communities we serve,” said Sefelipelo Bhebhe, Acting Chief of Party. “The warmth of the welcome we received, and the dedication shown by these communities, strengthen our shared resolve to keep supporting these initiatives.”
Christian Care thanks its Board representatives for their continued oversight and hands-on engagement, and extends its gratitude to the communities of Bikita and Chiredzi for their hospitality and partnership.
A few years ago, Chimanye Wetland in Bikita District ward 15 Museti area under Chief Mazungunye was just 7ha of degraded land. During dry years, the stream flow dried up leaving patched pools. Crops failed. Livestock walked long distance for water. When the El Nino was announced for the 2026 to 2027 agricultural season, fear spread in the community. “What will we eat? Where will the cattle drink?” people asked. The wetland was there, but no one knew how to use it. There was no water control, no training, and little cooperation between neighbours.
The multi sectorial collaboration of community and partners marks the turning point, things began to change. With support from the Government of Zimbabwe agriculture and environment advisory agents (EMA, RDC, Forestry and Agritex), Christian Care and funding from The Charitable Foundation (TCF), the community of Chimanye decided: “We will rehabilitate our wetland ourselves and build a weir downstream.”
The wetland (seven hactares) was successfully rehabilitated. It was a community based participatory approach well aligned with National Environmental Policy. Beyond crops, livestock and income, the wetland recharges groundwater, provides bee forage for honey, reduces erosion and gives a reliable water source for generations.
The Department of Mechanisation housed in Masvingo town approximately 140km from Chimanye came in and trained local builders on weir wall construction. It wasn’t just about stone and cement. It was about mind-set change. For the first time, men, women, and youth sat together, planned together and worked together.
“We learned that if we cooperate, we can solve our own problems, “said one community member (Lazarus Chiswa Chairperson). Today, a strong weir wall is set to stand downstream across Chimanye Wetland. With the weir holding water, the community will now be ready for the projected El Nino in 2026-2027. Even when rains fail, there will be water for gardens and livestock. More than six hectares of land is set to be irrigated benefiting more than one hundred households. That means increased income, vegetables in winter, maize in summer and food on tables all year.
Good coordination and cooperation between the community, government, Christian Care and TCF proved that development works best when we do it together. In the near future Chimanye will no longer wait for relief food. The weir will be more than a wall of stone. It is proof that with training, cooperation and support, a community can turn a wetland into wealth.
Story compiled by Taruberekera RN (Project Officer)
“Owning Our Future, Sustaining Christian Care Together”
The AGM brought together board members, partners, member churches, management, staff and esteemed stakeholders to reflect on the organization’s progress, discuss opportunities for growth and reaffirm our shared cooperation to serving vulnerable communities.
We extend our sincere appreciation to all delegates who participated and contributed to the meaningful discussions. Together, we remain committed to building a stronger Christian Care that continues to serve with compassion, integrity, and hope.
Christian Care successfully hosted its Regional Annual General Meetings (AGMs) in Masvingo and Matabeleland, bringing together representatives from member churches and organisational leadership to review progress, strengthen governance, and chart the way forward for the organisation.
These meetings reaffirmed Christian Care’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and collaborative leadership through its member churches and stakeholders.
Christian Care expresses its gratitude to all delegates, member churches, regional leadership, and partners who contributed to the successful cconvening of the meetings.
Include: Name and surname, email address and contact details. Also include the organisation or church you represent and specify whether you are attending as a representative of a full member church, representative of an associate member organisation, National Executive Committee Member, or Invited Guest.
Thank you for your continued commitment to Christian Care’s mission. We look forward to your participation as we reflect and strengthen our governance, and shape the future direction of Christian Care.
“A wetland is like a savings account,” Agnes tells younger women. “If you protect it today, it gives you water, food and money when the rains fail tomorrow.”
At 56 years old, married with 4 children and 3 grandchildren, most people in Bhuza Village, Ward 9, Bikita District would say Agnes had “done her part.” Yet she thought differently. For her, the most meaningful work was not behind her, it was still ahead, waiting to be realised.
Kurumwaune Wetland was on the verge of collapse. Livestock grazing, tree cutting, and farming in its spongy centre were stripping away its life. For the 155 community members from more than 15 villages, the problem was clear but the solution was not. That changed when Agnes was elected Secretary of the wetland committee.
Agnes refused to be a Secretary in name only. She became the driver of action. Under her leadership, the community pegged the ten hectare boundary, dug holes, and erected a sturdy fence lined with ten strands of barbed wire. This was not the work of government contractors it was the sweat of farmers, mothers, and youths, mobilized by Agnes through careful planning and steady meetings. “We had to talk to every household. If one person cuts the fence, the cattle will still enter,”she explains. She engaged everyone EMA, Agritex, Local Government, village heads, and even the herd boys.
Today, Kurumwaune Wetland stands protected, thanks to the support from Christian Care with funding from The Charitable Foundation. No more tilling in the centre. No more forest burning. No more overgrazing in the dry season. The wetland is healing, and nature is reclaiming its course. Families will have new income streams: youth will venture into apiculture and fisheries, women will sell horticultural produce when maize fields run dry, and grandchildren like Agnes’s three will grow up knowing what a healthy wetland looks like.
Ask Agnes why she succeeded, and she points to the community, not herself. Yet everyone across 15 villages knows the truth: it was her mobilization, her precision during pegging and fencing, and her conviction that conservation is not the job of Non Governmental Organisations it is survival. At 56, Agnes is proving that leadership has no age limit. She is not just a Secretary on paper. She is the reason 155 families now have a future fenced in.
Compiled by: Taruberekera Regismistong N (Project Officer)
Christian Care has been supporting the restoration of the Chapedo Wetland in Bikita District since 2022 with funding from Act for Peace and The Charitable Foundation.
Key achievements include:
✅ The community now has more reliable water supply for both domestic and agricultural use. ✅ Farmers are growing chilli crops creating opportunities for income leading to improved livelihoods. ✅ The community will soon be benefiting from harvesting fish which will improve their nutrition and increase their household income ✅ Beekeeping has provided household income for the community while promoting biodiversity through pollination ✅ The community benefits from improved ecosystem services that support livelihoods and environmental sustainability through protecting the land from uncontrolled grazing and human activities.
The project has improved local livelihoods and continues to strengthen climate resilience.
Christian Care was honoured to participate in the Provincial World Environment Day 2026 Commemoration at Chapedo Wetland, Bikita District, Masvingo Province. The theme of the event was “Climate Action for Our Future.”
During the event, Christian Care expressed its sincere gratitude to the Government of Zimbabwe and all its stakeholders for selecting Chapedo Wetland as the provincial venue for this important commemoration. Our presentation highlighted the journey of the project, showcasing the “before and after” transformation of the wetland and the collective efforts that made its success possible. We acknowledged the invaluable contributions of the local community, government departments, and private sector partners, whose collaboration has been instrumental in restoring and protecting this vital ecosystem.
Bikita District Council, Act for Peace, The Charitable Foundation
