Quaker witness at Hlekweni
45 years of Quaker witness in Hlekweni
Friends were reminded at Britain Yearly Meeting to mark the forty-fifth anniversary of a pioneering Quaker project in post-colonial southern Africa. Hlekweni, the Quaker training centre near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, represents an amazing example of ‘Quaker witness to economic justice and sustainability’, a Friend asserted.
Lee Taylor, of Friends of Hlekweni, said: ‘Against huge odds, the centre has continued – doggedly and in faith – to train young Zimbabweans in essential livelihood skills such as sustainable agriculture, construction, plumbing, carpentry, garment making and early childhood education. It has also, thanks to Craig Barnett, the recent director, given training in entrepreneurial skills and alternatives to violence.’
Friends of Hlekweni, the Quaker charity supporting the work, have sent almost £90,000 for twenty-five different grants in the past year. More than eighty Meetings have supported the ongoing witness.
Friends of Hlekweni will hold a weekend of celebration of the forty-fifth anniversary at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Birmingham on 22 to 24 June.
Lee Taylor said that they would be asking: ‘what stories do we hold about our witness? What characterises our witness over this long period – how have we held the faith? What can and should we be doing now for Hlekweni in our commitment to economic justice and sustainability?’
