COVID-19 a blessing in disguise for church members: Apostolic sect leader

AN Apostolic sect leader, bishop Andby Makururu, has said the COVID-19 pandemic changed the life of some of his congregants, who took advantage of the lockdown periods to start projects and businesses.

Makururu, who is the Johanne Masowe Echishanu (The Fifth of Africa) sect leader, made the remarks yesterday at his church shrine in Mutare while addressing female congregates at the launch of an empowerment programme that was attended by officials from the Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank (Women’s Empowerment Bank).

Hundreds of female church members are set to benefit through loans offered by the bank.

The women are already undertaking bakery and poultry projects, among others.

Most of the projects were financed by Makururu.

“The COVID-19 pandemic affected the country in a lot of ways. The education system was affected as schoolchildren were not attending classes, and the economy was the most affected. Several jobs were lost and it has affected people’s livelihoods,” he said. “I think as a church, the COVID-19 pandemic has, instead, helped us uplift ourselves in a lot of way. We managed to come up with new projects. I funded most of them and assisted female entrepreneurs by hiring experts to teach them to bake bread, make cakes and manufacture soap, candles and other items.” Makururu said the sect had empowered women to embark on projects in a quest to reduce genderbased violence (GBV). Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank Mutare branch supervisor Kasina Hodzi said he was impressed with the level of organisation at the sect. “We are impressed with the fact that they are organised, and we will do our best as a bank to ensure the women get loans as we have been guaranteed that they will repay,” Hodzi said.

Hodzi was accompanied by the bank’s branch operations manager, Patricia Mutizira.