Gap Foundation donates 17 tractors to empower schools in Matabeleland

BRIDGING the Gap Foundation has taken a proactive approach to help vulnerable communities in Zimbabwe become more self-sufficient and empowered.

To enable schools to develop projects that tuition fees alone cannot support, the foundation has donated 17 tractors to the Zimbabwe West Union Conference (ZWUC) of Seventh-day Adventists.

These tractors will be distributed to schools across the Matabeleland region, where they will help promote sustainable agriculture and enhance the quality of education and community life.

Founded by business mogul Kudakwashe Tagwirei and his wife Sandra, Bridging the Gap Foundation is a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to empowering communities of faith, the education and health sectors, as well as determined individuals to be a centre of hope for youths and rural communities.

The foundation seeks to promote sustainability and self-sufficiency, with an emphasis on education, in its efforts to provide vital support to communities.

A handover ceremony was held at the ZWUC offices in Suburbs, Bulawayo, where five of the tractors were handed over to selected schools, including Gonye Adventist Primary School in Nkayi, Shashane Adventist High School in Kezi, Nemane Adventist High School in Tsholotsho and Bulawayo Adventist High School.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Bridging the Gap Foundation executive director, Dr Blessing Nyahuma, underlined the organisation’s commitment to teaching communities how to “fish” rather than simply providing “fish”.

This philosophy is reflected in the comprehensive nature of the donation, which includes not only tractors but also inputs, drivers, harrows, trailers and boom sprays.

The foundation has also pledged to cover maintenance costs until the schools are able to sustain themselves.

“We have realised that no matter how hard schools may try, they can never make enough profit from tuition alone to have sustainable development projects, hence this donation. We also realised that donations can sometimes end up being a burden, so this is a wholesome donation which comes with inputs and additional equipment like the harrows and trailers. We have also provided the drivers for the tractors as well as the maintenance of the tractors until the schools can handle the costs on their own after harvesting,” said Dr Nyahuma.

The goal of this initiative is to enable the schools to develop projects that tuition fees alone cannot support. By promoting sustainable agriculture, Bridging the Gap Foundation aims to enhance the quality of education and community life.

Accepting the donation, ZWUC president, Dr Sikhumbuzo Ndlovu, praised the foundation’s contribution, highlighting its potential to increase the quality of service offered by the schools, alleviate financial burdens on parents, and enrich the surrounding communities.

“We are very grateful for this donation which will go a long way in increasing the quality of service offered by these schools. The extra income from agricultural proceeds will also help those parents who struggle to pay fees, something that has been happening a lot lately.

“Something else we are excited about is that this is also an opportunity to preach the gospel to the communities. These projects will benefit the communities as well, and when we preach love and kindness, they will be able to witness us practising it, meaning we will have more impact in these communities,” he said.

Projects manager at Bridging the Gap Foundation, Mr Ian Chiwhayi, encouraged the schools to understand that agriculture is a business. He encouraged the schools to consider including cash crops like blueberries in their projects.

Bridging the Gap Foundation’s charitable endeavours extends beyond this donation. The organisation has also provided critical support to Solusi University, including paying lecturer allowances and capacitating the university’s farm to generate income to implement other projects.