By Fanuel Chinowaita
MUTARE, Zimbabwe — A Christian organization with a track record of community interventions across Zimbabwe is seeking US$150,000 to establish a youth rehabilitation, skills development and women’s economic empowerment centre in Mutare.
PEDAH International Ministries, which was registered in 2018, says it wants to use the proposed Transforming Lives Centre to expand work it has already been undertaking in communities, particularly among vulnerable young people, women and families.
The proposed three-year project is expected to reach at least 800 direct beneficiaries, comprising approximately 500 young people and 300 women.
The centre is proposed for the Hellenic Community Hall at the corner of First Street and “C” Avenue in Mutare, with the first phase requiring US$150,000 for infrastructure and equipment.
PEDAH says the centre will provide counselling, youth rehabilitation support, vocational training, entrepreneurship programs, mentorship and women’s economic empowerment initiatives.
The project is expected to begin in January 2027 if funding is secured.
According to PEDAH, its proposed centre is not a new departure but an expansion of community work it has undertaken since the organization’s registration eight years ago.
The ministry says it has rehabilitated more than 200 young people affected by drug and substance abuse, while also providing counselling, mentorship and family support.
It has also empowered about 30 women through poultry-production training, with the program in Zhombe supported through funding from Empress Zhombe.
PEDAH says it has further trained and supported more than 10 women in agriculture and horticulture projects in Zhombe and Harare.
The organization says its family interventions have also included marriage counselling and family deliverance programs, through which it has helped reconcile numerous families and marriages.
In education, PEDAH says it has paid school fees for several primary school children in Zhombe, while its community development programs have reached more than 100 rural families in Rusape, Clare and Zhombe through the Pfumvudza agricultural program.
The Pfumvudza interventions were undertaken in partnership with Higherlife Foundation, according to the organization.
Through its chaplaincy work, PEDAH says it has also assisted inmates in various prisons by providing counselling and basic commodities.
The organization has additionally been involved in Bible League International’s evangelism and Bible placement programs, saying it has helped distribute more than 5,000 Bibles across communities in the Midlands and in Harare, Chitungwiza, Chinhoyi and, more recently, Mutare.
PEDAH says these interventions have shaped its plans for the Transforming Lives Centre, which it sees as a permanent platform through which such programs can be coordinated and expanded.
Tackling youth vulnerability
The proposed youth program will focus on drug and substance-abuse awareness, counselling, psychosocial support, mentorship, life skills, career guidance, ICT and digital skills, entrepreneurship, carpentry, welding and fabrication, agribusiness and youth leadership.
The organization says young people requiring specialized rehabilitation or medical services will be referred to appropriately qualified professionals and institutions.
The women’s empowerment program will focus on practical skills including tailoring and garment production, catering, soap and household-product manufacturing, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, savings groups, cooperative development, product packaging and digital marketing.
PEDAH’s stated objective is to move women beyond training by helping them progress from skills acquisition to production, production to markets and markets to sustainable income.
The proposed centre will also provide individual and group counselling, youth mentorship, family-strengthening seminars, parenting programs and life-skills education.
As a Christian organization, PEDAH says spiritual development will form part of its programs through prayer, Bible teaching, worship and mentorship, while professional counselling, rehabilitation and vocational services will involve qualified professionals where required.
US$150,000 funding target
The first phase of the project has been costed at US$150,000.
PEDAH proposes to allocate about US$40,000 towards a 200-seat multipurpose training hall, US$35,000 towards a skills workshop and equipment, US$25,000 towards a women’s empowerment kitchen and sewing equipment, US$20,000 towards administration and counselling facilities and US$30,000 towards furniture, ICT, water and solar systems.
The organization says the final costs will be established through architectural designs, bills of quantities, quotations and procurement processes.
If implemented, the project aims to reach 500 young people and 300 women during its first three years.
It also aims to establish at least 10 women’s savings and enterprise groups and support the creation of at least five youth cooperatives or enterprise groups.
Mafararikwa’s ministerial development background
The proposed project is being spearheaded by Bishop Dr Clarence Mafararikwa, whose work spans ministry, community development, chaplaincy, agriculture, youth rehabilitation and ministerial training.
Mafararikwa is currently a coordinator and trainer at the Christian Ministers Training Institute and serves as principal of Christ Alive Theological Institute.
He is also a coordinator of the Zimbabwe Christian Ministers Association’s Minister and Church Development Desk and serves as a coordinator for Bible League International.
He is the founder of the proposed PEDAH Theological and Minister Development College.
According to information supplied by PEDAH, Mafararikwa holds a Doctorate in Divinity, a Master’s degree in Theology, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies and Philosophy, a Diploma in Theology, an Executive Diploma in Christian Leadership, a Diploma in Chaplaincy and an Advanced Diploma in Chaplaincy for schools and tertiary institutions.
He also holds diplomas in Wood Technology, Agriculture and Marketing, among other qualifications.
PEDAH says Mafararikwa’s diverse training has helped shape an approach that combines Christian ministry with practical community development, skills training and economic empowerment.
The bishop says his motivation is driven by a desire to help transform communities and empower vulnerable people.
Building a sustainable centre
Sustainability is a central component of the proposed Transforming Lives Centre.
PEDAH plans to generate income through the sale of products produced by participants, catering services, tailoring and garment production, household-product manufacturing, agricultural and poultry projects, facility hire, enterprise partnerships, corporate support and development partnerships.
The organization says it ultimately wants to reduce dependence on donor funding for recurring operational costs by developing income-generating activities linked to the centre.
PEDAH also intends to establish partnerships with government departments, local authorities, businesses, financial institutions, skills-training organizations, churches, non-governmental organizations, development agencies, professional service providers and potential employers.
The centre would therefore serve not only as a training facility but also as a potential link between vulnerable communities, skills providers, employers, markets and financial opportunities.
Aligning with national development goals
PEDAH says securing funding for the centre would enable the organization to strengthen its contribution to national development efforts, particularly programs aimed at ensuring that vulnerable communities are not left behind.
The organization believes the centre could contribute to the Government’s “leaving no one and no place behind” development approach and the country’s Vision 2030 objective of achieving an upper-middle-income economy.
PEDAH argues that economic transformation requires more than infrastructure and investment, saying communities also need people equipped with skills, values, integrity and the capacity to participate meaningfully in economic development.
The proposed centre is therefore being positioned as a community-level investment in human capital.
If the US$150,000 first-phase funding is secured, PEDAH says it will establish the infrastructure and equipment required to provide a permanent base for youth rehabilitation, women’s economic empowerment, vocational training, counselling and entrepreneurship.
For Mafararikwa, the ultimate objective is to create an institution that can help vulnerable people move from dependence towards skills, dignity, enterprise and sustainable livelihoods.
PEDAH is now appealing to development partners, businesses, churches, foundations, philanthropists and individual donors to partner in establishing the centre.
The organization’s vision is encapsulated in its motto: “Transforming Lives Through Christ.”
