The children’s reading was disrupted during the COVID-19 epidemic because schools were closed and children weren’t doing anything educational. Northside Community Church recognized that children were falling behind in their reading, so they created a Reading Club so that children could continue to practice their reading outside of school. Aunt Barbara, the matron of the Northside Community Church, said the Reading Club began with a few children but has grown since partnering with a nearby school. Every Friday, children come to the church after school and they get books to read while being assisted by the adults present. As the number of children increased, more people were required to supervise the children as they read. That is when we as ZimWorX decided to kick in and volunteer to help the children read.
The first set of volunteers included nine members of our pastoral care team, including JW Oliver on his visit to Zimbabwe. On that particular day, a larger number of children arrived, and we quickly noticed that our supervisor to children ratio was off. This meant that we had to come in our numbers again to help the church’s Reading Club. The next Friday, sixteen volunteers from ZimWorX came to assist the children. It was a happy day as the ZimWorX team members connected with the children, talking, reading with them, and playing with them.
Going forward, we hope that more children will attend the reading club, and we will continue to volunteer to assist the children in any way we can. Kids are tomorrow’s future. “A volunteer’s heart is measured not by its size, but by the depth of his or her commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.”
