adminBr Tanaka Mashiche, SJ
In the developing world, technological and industrial progress has become a top priority that determines much of Government and council policy, often at huge environmental cost. Following the example of the West, we have consumed the earth’s resources as if they were in limitless supply.
We spewed out so much refuse in every form, shape and size that our planet’s arteries are now clogged with the waste-products of our rapacious appetites. One might have hoped that Zimbabwe, being a predominantly Christian nation, would have escaped such a fate, guided by Christian principles of stewardship and respect for all creation. However this has not been the case.
Christianity, for most of its 2000 year history, has been oblivious to environmental concerns. Christians are now waking up to the fact that we need to care for our environment because God has entrusted its care to us. Pope Francis has been one clear voice that has called Christians to action in his encyclical Laudato Si.
In this letter, he underlines how the earth is our “common home.”
St Francis of Assisi, a thirteenth century saint, urges us to treat our planet as a brother or a sister. The Pope goes on to observe in his letter that it is the poor who suffer the most from environmental degradation. This observation by the Pope is clearly evidenced in a place like Mbare where huge seas of garbage accumulateand end up being a health hazard, a breeding ground for cholera and typhoid epidemics.
It is always the most vulnerable who are the first to suffer from the outbreaks of such diseases. Being surrounded by so much filth also has a direct effect on the basic human dignity of the people who have become so used to these surroundings. They have passively accepted the dirt as an inescapable part of their lives. Growing up in such an environment negatively impacts our perception of nature and God’s gift of creation.
Surrounded by such filth, we all too quickly forget our interconnectedness with the earth and with those around and ahead of us who depend on our good stewardship of the gift of creation. This situation demands immediate redress, not just with more words, but with action.
Therefore as the Jesuits at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Mbare, we decided to put our faith into action by forming the movement “Team Up to Clean Up Mbare.”
From the very start, the initiative was more than just a Catholic initiative as it brought together youth from other Christian churches in an ecumenical operation that saw the Salvation Army, the Presbyterian, CCAP and Methodist Churches getting involved.
Our common Christian faith should be able to give witness to God’s desire that we care for our common home. However, this initiative to clean up Mbare goes well beyond the boundaries of the Christian faith and includes other groups such as “I am Mbare”, a non-faith aligned group of youths that are passionate about transforming their neighbourhood.
To date, “Team Up to Clean Up” has conducted ten clean-up campaigns with over 80 youth participating in each campaign. However, this initiative is more than just a bunch of youths coming together every few weeks to clean up the streets of Mbare. Clean-up campaigns come and go.
They create communities around a common goal of cleanliness, but all too often they do not bring a lasting solution to the problem of waste management. To this end, we have engaged all the major stakeholders in the waste management – the Harare City Council waste management department, the Director of Works of the City Council and our local Councillor, Engineer Pfukwa.
Our campaign also reached Councillor Maseko, community leaders from Matererini flats, private waste management companies such as Waste Away, and corporate sponsors like Zuva petroleum, so that together we provide a lasting solution to waste management in Mbare.
One of the major challenges we are facing is that our clean-up campaigns are yet to effect behavioural change in the people of Mbare. After cleaning a certain area, it is back to its original state within a week – covered with litter and refuse. To remedy this, we hope to build a lavish green park in Mbare and we hope this will symbolize that another Mbare is possible.
Our hope is that the residents of Mbare will take ownership of this space as their common space of beauty and be inspired to keep their surroundings clean and beautiful. Youths should refuse to indulge in drugs, alcohol and promiscuity, instead they should focus on constructive projects that build their community. This is the conversation we want to start, and we believe in its power to transform the face of Zimbabwe at large.
Those interested in taking part in this initiative can contact our Communications Coordinator, Tanaka Mashiche on +263 785 939 157 or email [email protected]. Alternatively you can visit the Facebook page Team up To Clean up Mbare.
Online Reporter