Project Plan

In 2007, major steps forward were taken in the Dzikwa Activity Centre building project. At the beginning of the year, a soil survey was carried out, the final touches were put to the planning and construction drawings, and building permit applications were filed. These were accepted by Harare City in June.

The actual building got under way by clearing the land. The 2 1/2 metre high concrete wall and the "palisade" front wall with its guard box on Rujeko Street are ready. A storage room with two toilets and a covered sitting area are also ready. Twelve fruit trees have been planted and the large kitchen garden is already producing vegetables for our children's daily meal. A bore-hole with two 5,000 litre water tanks is in place.

On 12 November 2007, the cornerstone was formally laid at the northeast corner of the main building. The ceremony was attended by the Zimbabwean Minister for Health and Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa, office bearers from the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland, and a number of distinguished invited guests. The Swedish Ambassador, Sten Rylander, was among them as Finland has no official representation in Harare. Wearing the colourful new costumes paid for by the Anglican Church choir in Finland, the Dzikwa choir and the marimba, dance and drama groups put on a memorable show for the guests.

There will be no accommodation in the main buildings of the Dzikwa Centre. The first of them, the kitchen/dining hall, with seating for 120 children, was opened in November 2010. The second building, the ICT centre, was completed in 2011. It houses a computer classroom and a small Internet access point for the local community.

Also on the site is a basketball court, which was opened in May 2010. Eventually there will also be an office block, a caretaker’s cottage and a diesel generator.

Our current, revised estimate of the total cost of the Dzikwa Centre is €600,000