Seventh Day Adventist Church women upskill to help communities

THE Bible and the world places great value on productive women.

The King James Version in Proverbs 31 verses 10 to 13 reads: “[10] Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. [11] The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. [12] She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. [13] She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.”

In line with Biblical teachings, over the weekend, 21 women from Bulawayo East Seventh-Day Adventist church were taken through a pine gel, dishwasher, foam bath, body perfume, floor polish, and toilet cleaner-making training at the church’s premises.

The training, facilitated by the church’s Dorcas Society in conjunction with Women’s Ministries saw detergent maker and chemical supplier, Mr Bezely Tinashe Mazarura through his Pure Chemicals enterprise, training the women.

With the level of unemployment soaring in the country, families struggle to make ends meet and such training made it more critical to undertake.

The Dorcas Society is the SDA’s philanthropic wing put in place to help the community meet its economic, physical and spiritual needs.

Its concern is for every case of need with special care upon the repair and distribution of good clothing and food supplies to vulnerable groups in society.

Dorcas Society Director, Mrs Nomathemba Nhoro told a Chronicle News crew that the training would benefit those beyond the realm of the church’s premises.

“Our mandate is to serve the community and for that to happen, we need to equip ourselves with a set of skills to ensure we reach our set goals. As a church, we are surrounded by Isaiah Children’s Home and such training will help us with the visibility that we need in society.

“We will make these detergents and donate them to such institutions. This is also an empowering tool within women in our midst to tap into entrepreneurship making sure of self-sufficiency since some may be stay-at-home wives,” she said.

Mr Mazarura was impressed with the level of commitment shown by the women during training.

“The participation was impressive as women were co-operating and I was much impressed by the attendance of ladies. They were eager to learn more, so it was fantastic since my students were happy about the training and I was also happy to be part of their happiness,” he said.

Notably, Shepherdess Sibusisiswe Msimanga was in attendance, being an active participant.

One of the participants, Ms Sanele Sibutha commended the church for helping them upskill.

“I’m glad to have been a part of this programme as I have learnt a skill that benefits not only me and my family but also the community as well.

“As a Society, we ought to walk the talk and for us to achieve that, we need to have proper skills. I’m going to make good use of what I have learnt here today as I try to minister to my neighbours,” she said.

The Dorcas Society works hand in hand with the Women’s Ministries and Adventist Men Organisation to repair what’s broken in the community. – @MbuleloMpofu