BY STYLE REPORTER
UNITED STATES-BASED gospel musician Chaka Ngwenya has announced ambitious plans to build a youth transformation centre in Zvimba at the village home he inherited from his grandfather, John Watch Ngwenya.
Ngwenya told Standard Style that construction work had already begun with a large kitchen and toilet
He is in the process of building the main gazebo-style hall for the Watch Village — Youth Transformation Centre in Chivhere village, Zvimba.
The centre will also offer guests a real Zimbabwean cultural experience through the provision of workshops and events that will be of benefit to youths.
“The orphans and less-privileged children will be able to come from towns and experience a real rural-life experience at the centre,” Ngwenya said.
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“The centre will have domestic animals and children can go hiking at a hill close by, fish or swim in Muche River.”
Apart from hearing old-time stories and enjoying traditional music, the children will also be taught how to milk cows and harvest honey among other traditional skills.
During his annual home visits, Ngwenya has quietly assisted vulnerable children in orphanages in Zvimba and Chinhoyi.
He is paying for school fees for some children in his village and the chief and the community are excited about his work.
On his last trip he donated soccer balls and netballs to various teams in Zvimba.
“We can’t talk about substance abuse by youths without providing them alternatives,” he said.
He also donated hundreds of face masks to Chivhere clinic in Zvimba.
Ngwenya, who has been involved in several mission trips to Zimbabwe, said the country is endowed with a rich culture that people across the globe would envy if they only knew about it.
The highlight was in 2006 when he brought from New York, the New Sounds of Christ Gospel Group led by Kenneth Burton.