“For Every Child to Know the Word”
Pastor Dudulize Tracy Manhenga Leads 3-Year Mission to Reach Harare’s Children
HARARE “The core of this mission is simple: for every child to know the Word of God. And to teach them how to live a better life while they’re learning it.”
That is how Pastor Dudulize Tracy Manhenga, founder of the initiative and owner of both a school and a church, describes the work she has led for the past three years.
What started with five schools has steadily grown. This year, two more schools joined the movement. While they are not yet taking part in the competitions, their presence signals that the vision is moving beyond church walls and into many nonChristian schools across the city.
She is supported in the outreach by Pastor C, who helps coordinate the inter-school programs and speaks directly with participating schools.
Pastor C, who spoke during Interview 2, said the program was designed to meet children exactly where they are.
“Most of the kids have problems,” he said. “But we are making an effort to make them better for tomorrow.
The mission comes alive in two ways every year: an annual inter-school competition each December, and a summer camp built around faith and life skills.
This December’s competition in Harare filled the hall with energy, drama, and scripture. When the results were called, every school was celebrated:
First place: Mother’s Pride
Second place: Almanac International School
Third place: Kids Paradise
Fourth place: Whiz Kids
Fifth place: Sally Mugabe
Kids Paradise, which also runs a secondary program, took third. But for Pastor Manhenga, the scoreboard was never the point.
“Whether you’re first or fifth, every child who stood up and shared the Word won,” she said. “If one child goes home and opens a Bible, then we’ve done our job.”
Camps for A Better Life deeper work happens at the annual summer camp. For three weeks each December, children many from poor backgrounds gather for mentorship, counseling, and skills training.
The goal, Pastor Manhenga explained, is to teach the children to have a better life, not just for December, but for the years ahead. Partners help carry the load. Victory Friendly Unit and The Oasis collaborate with the program, and over the past three years different organizations have come on board to inspire the children. Funding keeps the lights on, but Pastor Manhenga says the real fuel is community.
“Some of these children come from very tough places,” she said. “The camp and the school program give them a space to believe that tomorrow can be different.”
As the mission enters its fourth year, the prayer of Pastor Manhenga and Pastor C remains unchanged: plant the Word now, teach life now, so that Zimbabwe’s children have a firmer foundation for tomorrow.
