Stanbic Bank spruces up Muzarabani school

STANBIC Bank Zimbabwe (Stanbic) has completed the construction of two classrooms in the form of a 2×1 classroom block, a solar borehole, and a block of male and female toilets for Nyarutombo Primary School in Muzarabani, some 230 km North West of Harare.

The leading financial services institution also bought furniture for the two blocks as it pursues its corporates social investment (CSI) strategy, which is focused on education, health and sanitation.

Construction of the classroom blocks began last year and follows an earlier donation of stationery and mosquito repellent equipment by the bank to the Mashonaland Central-based school, whose area is a haven for malaria.

Stanbic Bank head of marketing and communications, Palmer Mugavha, said the bank authorities were moved by the sight of dilapidated grass thatched classrooms when they went to donate the stationery and malaria protection items and decide to spruce up the institution.

“We came here to donate mosquito nets, mosquito repellent wrist bands and an assortment of stationery, and the sight of grass thatched classrooms, one of which had collapsed inwards, touched us and moved us to make a decision to construct the two blocks, install a solar borehole, toilets and furniture,” said Mugavha.

Muzarabani is among the districts in Zimbabwe that are worst affected by malaria while it is also frequently hit hard by floods during the rainy season and this saw one of the grass thatched classrooms collapsing.

Established in May 2011, Nyarutombo Primary is run by the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe’s community relations arm, the Methodist Development and Relief Agency (MeDRA).
MeDRA national director Junior Vutoyi said the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe is grateful for the donation by Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe coming hard on the heels of the donation of mosquito repellent items and stationery. ­