
Photo courtesy of ADRA Zimbabwe Communication team.
ADRA Zimbabwe
By Judith Musvosvi
Judith Musvosvi, Ph.D. (Adventist University of Africa, Mbagathi, Nairobi, Kenya), is the Country Director for Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Zimbabwe. An accomplished and experienced leader in humanitarian and development work for more than 15 years. She holds two master’s degrees in administration (with international development emphasis) and public health, and a doctorate in leadership from the Adventist University of Africa in Kenya. She has worked in the United States, Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
First Published: June 5, 2024
Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Zimbabwe belongs to a network of country offices found in over 120 countries worldwide. The network’s headquarters is in Silver Spring, Maryland, the United States, housed in the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists headquarters building. ADRA was established in 1956 as the Seventh-day Adventist Welfare Service (SAWS). It became known as Seventh-day Adventist World Service in 1973. The name was later changed to ADRA in 1983.1
ADRA in Zimbabwe
SAWS was registered as a Private Voluntary Organization (PVO 23/1968), a humanitarian and development agency of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1968. Non-Governmental Organizations in Zimbabwe are still registered under the Private Voluntary Organization (PVO) Act through the Department of Social Welfare in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. A PVO is “anybody or association of persons, corporate or unincorporated, or any institution that seeks to promote the social welfare of people.”2
After its registration, SAWS operated under the Trans-Africa Division, later renamed Eastern Africa Division in 1983. Meanwhile, in 1982, SAWS was grouped under the Division Services, whose office was based in Harare, Zimbabwe, but covering many countries. In the year 1990, the Division started recording ADRA as a Services Department.3
The Eastern Africa Division executive committee minutes of February 7, 1991, recorded a vote to place an open call for a person to serve as ADRA Zimbabwe Country Director under the Zambesi Union Mission. The action stated: “voted to approve the ADRA Zimbabwe Office Operation Proposal.”4 That same meeting of February 7, 1991 established the first ADRA Zimbabwe governining board comprising mainly of SDA Church leaders and three laypersons. All three lay persons were women, namely, Mrs. N. Dube (Adult Literacy Organization for Zimbabwe), Mrs. R. Ncube (Ministry of Education), and Mrs. Ndlovu (Bulawayo Dorcas Federation Leader).
Over the years, ADRA's mission in Zimbabwe was forcased in working with the poor and distressed people to create positive transformation through empowering partnerships and responsible action. Its motto was "Changing Lives One Life at a Time."5 This motto helped ADRA Zimbabwe to value working with others of like minds, aiming for transformed lives, and responsible operations. As the organization grew, there came a realization that although its mission was well articulated, ADRA Zimbabwe needed to state its mission as a Christian Faith Organization clearly. It developed the following purpose statement: "Serving humanity so all may live as God intended," to replace the earlier agency’s motto. This change also necessitated the restating of ADRA Zimbabwe’s ethical foundations. Changing ethical foundations was a consultative process involving all networking countries, and after that, each country adopted the ethical foundations through its ADRA Country Board.6 The following are the current ethical foundations of ADRA International:
Our Purpose: To serve humanity so all may live as God intended.
Our Motto: Justice, Compassion, Love.
Based on Micah 6:8, these three words (Justice, Compassion, Love) guide ADRA’s approach to service and development.
Our Values:
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Connected – We work collaboratively for the best outcomes.
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Courageous – We persevere through challenging situations.
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Compassionate – We empathize with the communities we work with and with each other.7
ADRA Zimbabwe as a Stand-Alone Organization
As already noted above, the registration of SAWS in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1968 marked the beginning of ADRA work in the country. Following its name change to ADRA in 1983, the agency operated under the Zambesi Union Mission until the church administrative unit changed its name to Zimbabwe Union Conference in 1997. ADRA Zimbabwe’s Country Office was housed within the Union Conference Treasurer’s office in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, until 2002. An ADRA Country Director used to be appointed as one of the Union Mission Officers, like Amando Lopes, who was serving as Treasurer of the Zambesi Union Mission in 1991.8
When ADRA work was removed from Amando Lopes who was serving as Union Mission Treasurer, Frank Boniface was appointed to serve as the Country Director for ADRA Zimbabwe, even though he was also working as a pastor for the multi-cultural community. During this era, ADRA Zimbabwe’s main work was welfare work done among local churches and mainly for church members. This was a period when ADRA contributed more to building church institutions in Zimbabwe, like schools and clinics that belonged to the Adventist church but serving the general community. Most of its work was overseen by ADRA Country Directors who operated under the church’s supervision.9
The work of ADRA Zimbabwe as a stand-alone organization was propelled by the food crisis in the district of Binga and the advent of the HIV/AIDs pandemic. ADRA Zimbabwe’s response to the crisis in Binga was funded by ADRA Germany. There was such a large quantity of food that handling and distribution logistics required specialized technical support and coordination by professional leadership.10
To respond to this need, the church engaged the late Marko Ngwenya as the first ADRA Zimbabwe Country Director to lead the operations. Ngwenya had been working for World Vision in Zimbabwe. To respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic at a national level, Denias Chihwai, who had worked as Associate Health Ministry Director for the Zimbabwe Union Conference, was tasked to spearhead the HIV/AIDs response under ADRA funding. As the burden of HIV/AIDS pandemic grew across Africa, in 2004, ADRA-International received funding from the Government of Sweden for the HIV response in Africa programs run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Three project officers were seconded to each of the three Divisions of the General Conference of SDA in Africa. Their task was to work on capacity building in their assigned Divisions in responding to HIV/AIDS through a Training of Trainers program, which focused on giving awareness and community counseling skills to church pastors and community leaders.
The Training of Trainers program covered the countries of Zimbabwe and South Africa in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division. The program increased the visibility of ADRA in the country of Zimbabwe. Judith Musvosvi was appointed as the Regional Coordinator for the program in the Southern Africa region. The HIV/AIDS program was coordinated through the ADRA Africa Regional Office which was then based in Randburg, South Africa. Through this and other programs, the work of ADRA grew in its offering services to the church and communities.
Later, Sylvia Jiyane succeeded Marko Ngwenya as ADRA Zimbabwe Country Director between 2005 - 2009. During Sylvia’s tenure, the Adventist church moved the ADRA Zimbabwe country offices from Bulawayo, in Khumalo Suburbs, to Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. This move was meant to enhance the growth of ADRA Zimbabwe as an organization and to be closer to donor offices for easy coordination. Then in 2009, Dr. Zivayi Nengomasha, who had been serving as Programmes Director under Sylvia’s leadership, became the ADRA Zimbabwe Country Director from 2009 to 2011, when she moved to the ADRA AFRO Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya, as the Africa Region Programs Director. The operations of ADRA Zimbabwe, which had been a bit low, benefitted from Zivayi’s tenure in that she led the turnaround strategy which left ADRA Zimbabwe poised for further growth.
After Zivayi’s departure in 2011, Pansi Katenga acted as Country Director between 2012 and 2013. He was succeeded by Judith Musvosvi, who returned from serving as Southern Africa HIV/AIDS Coordinator to fill the position of ADRA Zimbabwe Country Director in August 2013.
ADRA Zimbabwe’s Program 2012-2022
Poised for growth, ADRA Zimbabwe started to get significant donations in 2012 and began expanding its operations across the country. ADRA Zimbabwe operated in seven of the ten provinces of Zimbabwe. In 2016, ADRA Zimbabwe purchased offices along 5 Cecil Drive in Greendale, Harare, which are the current home of ADRA Zimbabwe. The major donors during this period were USAID, DANIDA, UKAID, Australian AID, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan, UNWFP, UNICEF, UNOCHA, EU, Austrian AID, Rise Against Hunger, ADRA International, and ADRA Switzerland, among others.
In its collaborative work with the Adventist church in Zimbabwe, ADRA Zimbabwe became a household name. This was due to the several areas of its responses to disasters, entering difficult-to-reach communities and being a trusted partner of such communities.11 ADRA Zimbabwe’s response primarily featured in the following sectors:
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Livelihoods: Agriculture, food security – focusing on horticulture, markets and resilience.
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Health: Healthy Lifestyle, Water and Sanitation and Nutrition, Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases.
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Education: School Building Construction, School Feeding, and Non-Formal Education.
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Emergency Response: In addition to slow onset emergencies caused by drought or flash floods, ADRA Zimbabwe has responded to major disasters like Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani and the Chingwizi Disaster.
ADRA Zimbabwe grew in leaps and bounds by providing market access for smallholder farmers and contributing to the development of the Horticulture Policy in Zimbabwe with support from Denmark.12 ADRA Zimbabwe, with support from its network countries, also responded to flooding disaster emergencies and other slow onset emergencies caused by drought and flash floods across the country.13 In 2015, the highlight was that ADRA Zimbabwe drilled twelve boreholes in Chitungwiza with support from ADRA UK. These boreholes were officially commissioned by Pastor Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. These water wells continue to provide clean drinking water for the communities, thus contributing to their health and wellness. ADRA Zimbabwe has contributed through other development programs by initiating the Farmer Market School, which the government extension officers have adopted in some parts of Zimbabwe. This program assists farmers in having market-led approaches to growing food for the market.14 In partnership with Rise Against Hunger, ADRA Zimbabwe has initiated Home Grown School Feeding as part of its education response to hunger in Zimbabwe.15 ADRA Zimbabwe also responded to the Covid 19 pandemic during lockdowns by providing the needed food in partnership with WFP.16
Recently, in 2023, ADRA Zimbabwe, with a staff compliment of over 100 employees, celebrated 40 years of its existence, where the ADRA International president, Michael Kruger, the ADRA AFRO Office leadership, and ADRA Country Directors from eight different countries were in attendance. The event was graced by ADRA’s donors, ambassadors, plus other heads of agencies, and community leaders.17
Directors
Marko Ngwenya (2002-2004); Sylvia Jiyane (2005-2009); Zivayi Nengomasha (2009-2012); Pansi Katenga (acting) (2012-2013); Judith Musvosvi (2013-present)
Sources
“About Us,” ADRA Zimbabwe, accessed October 15, 2023, https://zimbabwe.adra.cloud/about-us/.
“ADRA Celebrates 40th Anniversary by Planting 40,000 Trees in Zimbabwe,” Adventist News Network, September 18, 2023, https://adventist.news/news/adra-celebrates-40th-anniversary-by-planting-40-000-trees-in-zimbabwe.
Angel & Walt, “How to Register an NGO in Zimbabwe - Company Registrations,” Company Registrations in Zimbabwe, August 2, 2019, https://www.companyregistrations.co.zw/blog/how-to-register-an-ngo-in-zimbabwe.
“Attendance Increased 35% at Five Schools in Gokwe North, Zimbabwe – Find Out Why - Zimbabwe | ReliefWeb,” January 30, 2023, https://reliefweb.int/report/zimbabwe/attendance-increased-35-five-schools-gokwe-north-zimbabwe-find-out-why.
Kudzai Chatiza and Mainway Meadows, “Smallholder Market Access and Horticultural Development Policy in a Context of Disrupted Value Chain Alliances: An Report Developed for/and Based on the Experiences of ADRA Zimbabwe,” n.d.
“Our History,” ADRA (blog), accessed October 15, 2023, https://adraalbania.org/about-adra/history/
Seventh-day Adventist Church (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe). Minutes of the Zambesi Union Mission executive committee meeting of February 7, 1991 (ACTION 409 and 410).
“UPDATE: Flooding in Zimbabwe Prompts ADRA Emergency Response - Zimbabwe | ReliefWeb,” March 5, 2014, https://reliefweb.int/report/zimbabwe/update-flooding-zimbabwe-prompts-adra-emergency-response.
“YB1990.Pdf,” accessed October 17, 2023, https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Yearbooks/YB1990.pdf.
“Zambesi Union Tidings (1954–1996),” accessed October 15, 2023, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=BH0Q.
“2018-FMS-Evaluation.Pdf,” accessed October 15, 2023, https://www.adra.dk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2018-FMS-Evaluation.pdf.
Notes
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“Our History,” ADRA (blog), accessed October 15, 2023, https://adraalbania.org/about-adra/history/.↩
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Angel & Walt, “How to Register an NGO in Zimbabwe - Company Registrations,” Company Registrations in Zimbabwe, August 2, 2019, https://www.companyregistrations.co.zw/blog/how-to-register-an-ngo-in-zimbabwe.↩
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“YB1990.Pdf,” accessed October 17, 2023, https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Yearbooks/YB1990.pdf.↩
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Seventh-day Adventist Church (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe). Minutes of the Zambesi Union Mission executive committee meeting of February 7, 1991 (ACTION 409 and 410).↩
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“Our History.”↩
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“About Us,” ADRA Zimbabwe, accessed October 15, 2023, https://zimbabwe.adra.cloud/about-us/.↩
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“About Us.”↩
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“Zambesi Union Tidings (1954–1996),” accessed October 15, 2023, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=BH0Q.↩
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Burns Sibanda, telephone interview by author, October 14, 2023, Angola.↩
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Ibid.↩
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“UPDATE: Flooding in Zimbabwe Prompts ADRA Emergency Response - Zimbabwe | ReliefWeb,” March 5, 2014, https://reliefweb.int/report/zimbabwe/update-flooding-zimbabwe-prompts-adra-emergency-response.↩
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Kudzai Chatiza and Mainway Meadows, “Smallholder Market Access and Horticultural Development Policy in a Context of Disrupted Value Chain Alliances: An Report Developed for/and Based on the Experiences of ADRA Zimbabwe,” n.d.↩
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“UPDATE.”↩
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“2018-FMS-Evaluation.Pdf,” accessed October 15, 2023, https://www.adra.dk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2018-FMS-Evaluation.pdf.↩
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“Attendance Increased 35% at Five Schools in Gokwe North, Zimbabwe – Find Out Why - Zimbabwe | ReliefWeb,” January 30, 2023, https://reliefweb.int/report/zimbabwe/attendance-increased-35-five-schools-gokwe-north-zimbabwe-find-out-why.↩
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Kudzai Tinago Zimbabwe ADRA, “ADRA Zimbabwe Continues to Provide Relief during Lockdown,” Adventist News Network, May 14, 2020, https://adventist.news/news/adra-zimbabwe-continues-to-provide-relief-during-lockdown.↩
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“ADRA Celebrates 40th Anniversary by Planting 40,000 Trees in Zimbabwe,” Adventist News Network, September 18, 2023, https://adventist.news/news/adra-celebrates-40th-anniversary-by-planting-40-000-trees-in-zimbabwe..↩