Rutendo Chirume
MASVINGO – The Zimbabwe Young Christian Students (ZYCS) has constructed a chicken run with a capacity to accommodate 150 chickens at Soti Source High School/St Josephine Bhakita Mission as part of its annual community service workcamp.
The seven-day workcamp, which ran from August 6 to 13, brought together high school and tertiary students, former associates and spiritual directors who worked on the project as part of the organisation’s commitment to improving living standards in communities in need.
According to ZYCS, the chicken project was selected to help the priests at the mission establish an income-generating project that can contribute towards the financial upkeep of the institution.
ZYCS follows the spiritual methodology of “See, Judge, Act and Reflect”, using it to identify challenges affecting communities and take practical action to address them.
“The Zimbabwe Young Christian Students take pride in making a preferential option for the poor. Our annual workcamp is a period of community action, connection, identifying ourselves with the poor and marginalised and also live out our spiritual methodology of See, Judge, Act and Reflect,” the group said.
The organisation said the workcamp was also an opportunity for students to develop practical life skills, with participants involved in activities such as construction, cooking and fetching water.
“Not only were we doing incredible work, but fostering a community of young Christians who care for society, igniting the human spirit of kindness, Ubuntu, Catholic ethos and love,” the organisation said.
The ZYCS is affiliated with the International Young Christian Students (IYCS), an international movement that initially started as Young Catholic Students before adopting the Young Christian Students name to accommodate students from different Christian backgrounds.
The movement comprises students from different educational levels and is supported by former associates and spiritual directors.
Its community initiatives extend beyond construction projects. Last year, the group conducted work in Rusape, where it dug a trench and provided pipes to improve water access at a charismatic centre.
The organisation has also undertaken initiatives such as classroom construction and provision of materials to communities and institutions in need.
The Soti Source project demonstrates the organisation’s thrust on combining Christian faith with practical community action, particularly through projects intended to leave communities with sustainable sources of support.
