Visitation – Makumbi High celebrates 100th anniversary

Domboshava -VISITATION Makumbi Mission is marking a significant milestone of one hundred years that encompass a remarkable history of foresight; incredible success and the lives of thousands of children impacted, influenced and nurtured under its care.

Sylvester R.P Ndoro, the Visitation High School headmaster, said:

“As we celebrate 100 years of Makumbi Mission, we would like to appreciate the Jesuit Education traditions based on the principles of character formation elaborated by the founder (St Ignatius of Loyola) of the Society of Jesus.

“It takes the whole person into account.

“Besides intellectual development, it also stresses the social, emotional, physical, aesthetic, moral and spiritual growth of pupils/students.

“It values the richness and variety of human experience, its cultures, religious, social and economic structures, and diversity in the eco systems.

“Hence the school respects every student/pupil and helps all students to discover the deeper meaning and purpose in their lives.

“At the same time, it develops their personality as leaders who are concerned about society and the world in which they live.

“In this regard. The school has been able to embrace the thrust of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’ s Heritage Based Curriculum Framework 2024-2030.

“We would like also to acknowledge the contributions from our Alumni ranging from financial assistance, sports kits, computers and other educational materials as well as physical infrastructure (recent tiling of the Reception being a case in point).”

Father Anesu Manyere said:

“In 1953, there was a seasonal fire and Fr Maurice (Bo) Rea, the principal, asked the senior boys to help put it out as it was threatening the mission.”

Makumbi’s Children Home was founded in 1932 by Sr de Mercedes, who started caring for one orphan.

In 1954 there were 18 orphans and The Shield commented ‘it is hard to provide a real home for orphans.’

Fr Henry Wardale, at Makumbe in 1972, came across a birth certificate with the painful details, ‘father unknown, mother died in childbirth.’

There were few resources and they were ‘erratic and spasmodic’.

But the priests and sisters felt they were giving the orphans a start in life that many brought up in the rural villages did not have.

The presence of seven local sister teachers did much to stabilise the schools.

The secondary school for girls opened in 1964 with 32 girls and it rose to 57 the following year.

In 1971 the school became co-educational with the arrival of 41 boys. In the 1970s Fr Henry Wardale joined the F2 (technical) school with it (the now F1, academic) school to form Visitation High.

Gradually the ‘technical’ students came to appreciate the practical skills they learnt — in carpentry and building — and the sustainability they imparted.

In line with this, 1980 saw the introduction of vegetable growing, chicken rearing, pig keeping and dairy cows.

In 1988, ‘A’ level arts subjects were added to the academic side of the school followed by science two years later. Sylvester Mugamu was asked in 1990 on ZBC what else he would like to see added to the school curriculum.

He replied:

“I wish both male and female students to be taught practical subjects from Form 1.”

In 1992 the first female students took up woodwork. In the mid-1960s, Neudecker was impressed by the amount of lay involvement in the mission.

There were catechists and prayer groups (Apostleship of Prayer), discussion groups on matters of faith and scripture. These groups visited the sick and collected firewood for the sick and old. There were also Catholic youth groups.

She noted 19, 531 registered for baptism between 1925-1967.

Soon after Independence, the government announced a huge increase in secondary education. Up to then the only secondary school in the area had been at the mission and that had been mainly for boarders from town. Now many primary schools were to become secondary schools (Upper Tops) and there was to be a large government school at the showgrounds at Parirehwa, half way between the mission and Harare.

There was a shortage of teachers to meet this upsurge in education and Makumbi became a pilot scheme for CATORUZI (Catholic Ancillary Teachers For Rural Zimbabwe), volunteers from the developed world.

They lived at the missions and their salaries were pooled to cover the expenses of the organisation.

They taught at Parirehwa, Nyakudya, Munyawiri, Tsatse and Chiveso and came from South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Belgium, Lichtenstein, Ireland and the UK.

Wherever they worked they made an enormous contribution to education in Zimbabwe.

When Henry Wardale finished his term as provincial, he taught at Nyakudya and every day the VW beetle set off with the two Catoruzis, Henry and Mark.

When Henry began to show signs of Alzheimer’s, one of the Catoruzis gave a lot of time to be with him.

The Children’s Home was originally intended to be an orphans’ home but during the war it became a home for any children in need.

It opened its doors to the Tangwena children.

When they went home it reverted to its original purpose but it was hard to fund.

It was a happy place, looked after by a succession of devoted sisters: Julian, Diana and Illumina.

Fr John Byrne and Mark often spent evenings with the children.

In the late 1990s Fr Roland von Nidda built new science blocks and a big hall.

He tried to introduce the Ignatian ethos – an emphasis on seeing education in the whole plan of God for his people — into the schools, especially the Secondary School.

This involved teaching religion in the framework of Ignatian spirituality in the Fifth and Sixth forms.

He also led workshops and retreats for the teachers and offered a two-month Ignatian retreat in daily life to them, a good number of whom took it up.

The Ruvarashe Trust (St Josephine Bakhita) Centre, for people living with handicaps, was founded in the new century through the efforts of Catarina Savini, a long-time Italian lay missionary in Zimbabwe.

Makumbe is well equipped with many institutions and, as one would expect, this gives challenges to those who inherit it.

Frs Admire Nhika and Peter Paul Musekiwa, the most recent responsible authorities at the mission, have responded by initiating a number of income-generating projects.

The 1918 desire for education by young people led to established of an out school of Chishawasha by Fr Charles Daignaul, S.J. at Chakaoma.

Resistance from the local kraal head (sabhuku) Makumbe failed.

The project did not take root for the next six years.

In 1924 Fr Herman Kaibach, S.J. establishes what is now Visitation Makumbe Mission. He names the mission after the feast of the Visitation (1 — it was the day he arrived at the place; 2 — the area was a hill country).

In 1927 Br John Göll, S.J. moulds 70,000 bricks and digs a well. Br Joseph Linder builds the priest’s house, the school and a small church.

In 1929 Fr. Kaibach reports poor attendance at the school and a fall away in the practice of the Christians. The mission is nearly closed. Boarding place for girls is established under the care of three Dominican Srs. 30 girls and 25 boys are enrolled.

In 1931, Br Anthony Puff puts a roof on the boarding school.

In 1932 the boarding is closed.

In 1938, Makumbe becomes independent of Chishawasha.

From 1936 to 1946 — Fr. John Kelly and Br. Hugh Bradley work hard to re-establish the Mission.

In 1942 — a new church which could hold 700 is built. A clinic is established which could train nurses and midwives. Dominican sisters are in charge.

In 1945, a TB sanatorium is built with 120 beds outside the mission.

In 1967, there were 12 out schools, a mission clinic with about 20 beds built in 1937.

Source:H-Metro