By A Correspondent- The Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IBDZ) last Thursday handed over $2.5 million worth of completed classroom blocks and other social amenities to 10 schools in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces as part of its contribution towards the Cyclone Idai recovery efforts.
The bank undertook the construction of education facilities damaged by Cyclone Idai under a $2.5 million grant.
The projects were recently completed in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts of Manicaland as well as Bikita and Zaka districts of Masvingo province.
The bank rehabilitated infrastructure at 10 schools, five in Manicaland and another five in Masvingo.
Speaking during the handover ceremony held at Brightside Primary School in Chimanimani, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba thanked the bank for the kind gesture.
“We really want to thank IBDZ for the effort they have put in so that teachers and pupils here enjoy conducive learning environment. If one looks at the classroom blocks that they have completed they will see that it dovetails into Government ambition of building back better.
“When the cyclone hit here in Chimanimani and Chipinge we were all in a state of shock but we are now recovering from the shock and realising that there is still a lot of work to be done.
“Yes, a lot has been done in making sure the people of Chimanimani and Chipinge get back to normalcy but we accept that a lot still needs to be done,” she said.
Speaking at the same function, IBDZ chief executive Mr Thomas Sakala said the bank is motivated by playing its role in transforming communities in Zimbabwe for the better.
In Manicaland province in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts most of the construction works are now complete.
At Thornton Primary in Chimanimani, the bank worked on conversion and rehabilitation of four hostel blocks into habitable teachers’ houses as well as refurbishment and upgrading of the headmaster and deputy headmaster’s houses.
Rehabilitation of ECD and infant classrooms blocks, restoration of bulk water supply and water reticulation system, rehabilitation of an existing dilapidated laundry and toilet block, demolition of dysfunctional ablutions, catering away rubble, construction of 12 squat hole toilets, painting of roof covering sheets of the existing two classroom blocks and rehabilitation of 1km access road are some of the disaster recovery works undertaken by the bank at Thornton Primary School.
At Chimanimani Secondary School, the bank worked the construction of a new semi- detached teachers’ house while the construction of a classroom block has since been completed at Brightside Primary.
At Kwirire Primary School, an ECD classroom block has since been completed while Ndima Secondary School benefited through the construction of a new semi-detached teachers’ house.
At Ngaone Secondary they worked at replacement of damaged roofing sheets to laboratory and ablution blocks.
In Masvingo province construction works are complete at Vushe Primary School, Mandiki Primary School, Fambidzanai Secondary School, Mutsinzwa Primary and Veza Primary all in Bikita and Zaka areas.
All the projects under the bank’s interventions are completed and ready for use by the schools.
The IDBZ was formed on the 31st of August 2005, taking over the assets and liabilities of the former Zimbabwe Development Bank (“ZDB”).
It was primarily set up as a vehicle for the promotion of economic development and growth, and improvement of the living standards of Zimbabweans through the development of infrastructure, which includes but not limited to energy, transport, water and sanitation, information communication technology (ICT) and housing.
-ManicaPost