By Br. Alfonce Kugwa

Bishop Rudolf Nyandoro foundation is on the cards as he celebrates his silver jubilee as a priest. The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Gweru seeks to define a new chapter in the life of the local Church by initiating a foundation that would cater for the needs of the underprivileged and support areas that need assistance within the Midlands diocese.

While the diocese celebrates a milestone of its bishop’s 25 years of priestly ordination on 16 December 2023, the event will be marked by the launch of the diocesan foundation, the first of its kind in Gweru Diocese.

Speaking to Fr. Victor Musendeki, who is the Coordinator of the foundation and the person responsible for orphans and vulnerable children in Gweru Diocese, he pointed out that Bishop Nyandoro expressed his desire for the foundation as the backbone for sustaining orphanages, underprivileged children and for the development of rural schools and parishes.

“Setting up a foundation or trust will assist so many people who need assistance in terms of social amenities in our diocese. The foundation will also help support children’s homes, rural schools and parishes which are dilapidated due to lack of resources to maintain them,” said Fr. Musendeki in an interview with Catholic Church News.

Fr. Musendeki also said the diocese has four children homes which include St. Joseph Children’s Home in Loreto, Driefontein Children’s Home, Mary Ward Children’s Home in Amaveni, Kwekwe and Rutendo Children’s Home in Mkoba, Gweru which he said requires the Church’s support for their sustenance.

“All these children homes need the support of the diocese. There are also many children who cannot go to school within the diocese because their parents cannot afford to pay for their school needs and it is our responsibility as the church to make sure that these children enjoy their rights through setting up of a foundation,” stressed Fr. Musendeki.

The priest highlighted that the Bishop was moving away from the culture of receiving gifts for personal use but use such occasions to build a fund that would sustain the diocese and that the 16 December jubilee will set the pace in cultivating the new spirit of self-reliance in the Midlands diocese.

According to Fr. Musendeki the foundation will be administered by the Board of Trustees who are competent people with relevant skills. The Board members are expected to meet the necessary requirements and will be regulated by relevant policies and laws to avoid mismanagement of public funds.

Fr. Musendeki requested for support in cash or kind to enable the diocese to undertake this important initiative. He called on all people especially those from the Midlands Province to rally behind this goal of establishing a foundation for the underprivileged in the diocese.

“We look forward to working with all people of good will and good reputation who can support our mission to transform the situation of the poor and the needy in the diocese. We ask those with ideas and experience to come forward and lead the way in setting up this project. No one should be left behind in this initiative. We ask individuals, all Christians, companies, organizations, rotaries and all interested to partner with us in realising our dream,” Fr. Musendeki said.

Meanwhile, Bishop Nyandoro has also encouraged his diocese to support the construction of the multipurpose hall at the site of the Pastoral Centre. He said fundraising for this intention will be a great gift for him and the diocese. In a letter he circulated to all parishes, he said the occasion of his jubilee should also contribute to the development of this project.

“The gift that immediately came to my mind is that of building a hall at the pastoral centre for our Diocese, Gweru. Our main focus as the whole Catholic family of Gweru is to construct something that accommodates us when we have our diocesan functions such as a multi-purpose hall. This will contribute immensely towards our efforts of evangelization. The hall will be used for pastoral, liturgical, educational, skills training and social activities,” read the letter.