Pastors Connect Zimbabwe

Pastors Connect involves 70 pastors in Bulawayo, Masvingo and Irisvale in Zimbabwe. It aims to bring together likeminded pastors from different churches for fellowship, spiritual support and economic empowerment. COVID-19 made churches and pastors even more economically vulnerable and Pastors Connect is building economic safety nets for pastors. It also provides spiritual support for them and their families. Leadership conferences and gender-based violence awareness workshops are equipping pastors to address emerging challenges in their churches and communities. The project is led by Pastor Mkhululi Sihlola.

Part of the economic empowerment is through farming projects and E3 funded a second-hand refurbished tractor in 2023 to facilitate this and expand the agricultural activities of two other E3 partners – Family Life Projects Trust and Scripture Union. Thanks to the tractor, 600 families will be able to plant more corn and vegetables, which will give them a sustainable source of food and income. That will mean food security for these communities.

E3 grant: £3,000

Growing hope: how pastors are feeding their community

A dedicated group of pastors is growing fresh, nutritious vegetables – not just to support their own families but to uplift their entire community. The profits from selling their produce help cover essential needs like school fees, utility bills, and daily expenses.

Zimbabwe has been facing a severe drought, drastically reducing water levels in the city's dams. Despite this, these pastors have stepped up to provide clean, safe water from their boreholes for local families to drink and use in their homes. This generosity, however, has left them with less water for their crops, lowering their vegetable production and income.

Still, their work continues to be a blessing:

  • They provide steady jobs for 8 permanent workers and temporary employment for over 20 others.

  • Local families have access to fresh, affordable vegetables.

  • Street vendors – 90% of whom are women struggling to make ends meet – can buy produce at fair prices for resale.

  • They donate vegetables to families in mourning, helping with funeral gatherings.

Despite the challenges, these pastors are making a lasting impact – one vegetable at a time.

The gift of a tractor…

The agricultural projects are already helping people earn a living and put food on the table, but cultivating the land is hard work and takes many hours for each person. Most were hoeing the land using old tools, which is labour intensive and limits how much land they can cultivate and reduces the time available for ministry, family life and other tasks. A tractor:

  • Increases the amount of land being used.

  • Speeds up the preparation of the land.

  • Reduces the cost of production thereby increasing household incomes through the sale of surplus produce.

  • Helps households who could not afford to hire a tractor before to make use of their land.

  • Enables Scripture Union to feed more children living on the streets and reduces the cost of feeding the children living at the safe house.