How a community is building school from the ground up

AGAINST the setting of the Gwayi River’s rhythmic waves, a new sound dominates — the hustle of young men, shovels in hand, trading river sand for survival.

In Matabeleland South Province, a community has found an innovative way to combat the challenges posed by a dry farming season.

The Norwood Resettlement, a remote area an hour’s drive from Bulawayo, has turned to harvesting and selling river sand. This endeavour is more than mere commerce; it’s a visionary act that funds education and secures a future for their children.

For years, the Norwood residents have welcomed outsiders to partake in their sandy bounty. The proceeds from these sales are not squandered but invested in the cornerstone of any thriving community — education.

A new school, financed by the granules of the Gwayi River, now stands as a beacon of hope, ensuring that the children of Norwood are not left behind in the march towards progress.

As Bulawayo expands, the demand for river sand in construction has turned it into a precious commodity.

The Norwood community, recognising this need, charges sand harvesters, thus turning an abundant natural resource into a beacon of progress.

One of the community members, Gillian Ndlovu, said the project started as a way of wanting to create better lives for their families.

“When we started selling the sand, we never imagined it would lead to something like this. We just wanted to find a way to support our community and our children.

But now, we have something we can be truly proud of. The initiative is a beacon of light in a dark and difficult time. It gives us hope and reminds us of the beauty and potential of our nation,” said Ndlovu.

Mabrazo, one of the youths, said the sand has turned into a source of income.

“Everyday we are guaranteed of around US$10 as we are the loaders to these trucks and we are happy for the leadership in our community for enforcing such a rule as we are able to make a living through the project. As youths we are also determined to contribute labour to the construction of the school,” said Mabrazo.

Bulilima legislator Dingumuzi Phuti hailed the community for such innovation, which brings about development through natural resources.

“Well, it’s an exciting move that dovetails with the Government’s efforts to try and make people benefit from resources around them. In the corporate world, Government has promoted the social corporate responsibility and in this case it explains whatever happens to their environment, they should also be in a position to get resources that can uplift their social and economic standards.

“As we speak, the school that is being constructed from the proceeds that are coming from the harvesting of the river sand is going to change the lives of people of Norwood and future generations as they are able to access education from their locality,” he said.

Cde Phuti, who is also the Deputy Minister of Information Communication Technology, called other communities in rural Zimbabwe to follow in their footsteps.

“We encourage this model and are going to be moving to other communities within the district and constituency to try and replicate that model because it is working well. It also gives power to people to protect their resources according to expectations of environmentalists.

“They would then know that if they allow for the degradation of their land or any destruction of environment it means a loss for their future so they want to be educated to use their resources sparingly, in turn getting something but knowing it’s their responsibility to protect that resource as it is bound to give them more if it is sustained,” said Cde Phuti.