On the outskirts of Central Business District; 15km from the town centre is an orphanage which houses 145 children. Located in Harare’s Epworth suburb Matthew Rusike is home to children orphaned by the deadly HIV and AIDS scourge, and in some cases disadvantaged children from child headed families are admitted into the Home. This humble institution does not throw a pity party on itself and does not rely on a begging bowl for survival and sustenance. Mathew Rusike undertakes a vibrant piggery project; the brainchild of ZIMRA’s Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.
2013 saw ZIMRA donating 10 pigs (2 boars and 8 soars) to Matthew Rusike and the project has grown due to the resilience of the both the ZIMRA and Mathew Rusike teams who are steering the project, proving that ZIMRA is not just a mere ‘tax collector’ but a believer in societal relevance. ZIMRA has always given a textbook example of its leadership role in cushioning the country’s social fabric not only through mobilising revenue on behalf of the state but also through sharing and caring for the needy society members.
”We are elated that we can now sell pork to the public, thanks to ZIMRA’s generous donation. When we embarked on this project, we did not know that it would pay off in such a short period of time. From the 10 pigs donated by ZIMRA we now have 83 pigs and we intend to slaughter 30 pigs in order to sell the pork and the other 53 will remain to continue the breeding exercise,” said Mr Brian Gochayi, Mathew Rusike’s administrator.
A legion of disadvantaged children have benefited from ZIMRA’s Corporate Social Responsibility which has over the years become sustainable. The project at Mathew Rusike has continued to grow from strength to strength, and has become a source of sustenance for the institution turning the story of Mathew Rusike to that of a success twist within a short period of time.
The breeding pigs which were donated to the institution consisted of three (3) landrace pigs and 7 (seven) white pigs. The white pig is white skinned, lop-eared and free from black hairs. The majority of the crossbreeds contain landrace and white blood. The landrace is widely used for pork production and is favoured for its early rapid growth and higher weight than other breeds. It is commonly used in factory farms for pork, ham and bacon production. The landrace is a prolific breeder, adaptable to an intensive housing system of production.
ZIMRA’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme has been biased towards self-sustenance, which has seen various charity organisations across the country being assisted to run their projects such as farming, poultry and carpentry among other things.
“Our Social Corporate Responsibility programme is a total departure from just a mere donation to sustenance. We believe that instead of giving someone a fish, we should teach that person to fish.” said Mr Gershem Pasi at one of the official handover ceremonies.
Purity
Although ZIMRA collects taxes, it does not use state money for its Social Responsibility Programme. The Authority partners with other organisations in its annual Fundraising Charity Dinner which benefits over 20 Children’s and Old People’s homes across the country.
ZIMRA is also closely guided by the recently introduced the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Social and Economic Transformation (ZIM ASSET), an economic blue print which will run from 2013 - 2018. The economic blue print is aimed at growing the economy through the creation of jobs, improving health, social service delivery and providing cheap housing for people among other things. ZIMRA’s CSR programme is reflective of the country’s economic blueprint. Apart from providing sustenance for the benefiting homes, employment creation has also been made which greatly improves the way of life of our disadvantage communities in the nation.
ZIMRA’s culture of giving has made a positive impact of transforming lives, evident in the stories of success told by its various beneficiaries. This culture of true altruism has been cultivated in the Authority, which has seen ZIMRA’s divisions adopting homes in order to be on the lookout of their needs. Matthew Rusike Children’s home was founded in 1950 by the late Reverend Matthew Rusike who took orphaned and abandoned children into his home for care. Later, the home was named as Matthew Rusike and in 1961 the Methodist Church of Zimbabwe assumed responsibility over its affairs.