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Blessing Karubwa, Chronicle Reporter

THE    Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) has constructed school blocks at 10 schools in Mangwe District, Matabeleland South that had been destroyed by heavy rains and strong winds, replacing door steps with access ramps to make them user friendly.

Matabeleland South Provincial Education Director, Mrs Beatrice Manjere, commissioned one such classroom block on Wednesday at Kwite Primary School in Mangwe district.

She said Mangwe, being prone to strong winds and adversely affected by climate change has seen most of schools’ class room blocks being destroyed.

“Through this project, some schools with blocks destroyed by strong winds and other weather elements were built back better, in compliance with the required standard of construction that ensures among other things, good ventilation through insertion of standard size windows, replacement of asbestos’s sheets with iron sheets for roofing and also insertion of two door per class to ensure easy exit in times of disasters,” she said.

“The retrofitted classroom blocks have access ramps by the doors for easy access by the disabled members of our communities especially learners and teachers on wheelchairs, this also dovetails with the government mantra of “leaving no one behind”. All the class room blocks in 10 schools targeted under phase one had their door steps replaced with access ramps making them user-friendly for all.”

Mrs Manjere said under the project girl child and disabled friendly latrine toilets were constructed in all the 10 school under phase one.

“Through this project, some schools with blocks destroyed by strong winds and other weather elements were built back better, in compliance with the required standard of construction that ensures among other things, good ventilation through insertion of standard size windows, replacement of asbestos sheets with iron sheets for roofing and also insertion of two door per class to ensure easy exit in times of disasters,” said Mrs Manjere.

Zimbabwe Red Cross Society Vice president, Dubilizwe Mpofu said the construction of the classroom block at Kwite Primary School falls under the project aimed at increasing disaster preparedness of vulnerable districts in Zimbabwe through school, community and institutional capacity building.

“The overall expected outcome of this intervention is to ensure that children and youth, and their home communities, are more resilient to disasters and have safer learning environments – are better able to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters,” he said.

“We want to acknowledge the support we continue to receive from key government departments as we play our key statutory complimentary role to public authorities’ humanitarian interventions. Let as continue working together for humanity.”

@TichaKarubwa