JUST outside the Harare, along the Bulawayo road to the left after the National Heroes Acre entrance lies the quiet high-density suburb of Warren Park.
REPORT BY JONATHAN T JIRI
From the city centre to Warren Park Shopping centre it is around ten minutes of safe driving.
Between Warren Park and Kambuzuma 2 High School is exactly the place to be if one is looking for nature’s delights. You find these at Warren Park herbal and nutritional gardens. A variety of medicinal and non-medicinal herbs are grown.
In fact, the garden’s project portfolio is quite diverse.
Mr Kamukweremi, one of the curators at the centre, said that people come from both the local community and far away places to receive treatment using these herbs.
“We are host to an average of twelve people per day who come to seek treatment for various ailments. We use herbs that help suppress BP, diabetes, asthma, arthritis and other ailments.
“Sadly though some of our patients fall in the fatal sexually transmitted infections range. Clients can also get aphrodisiacs and immune boosters upon request”, said Kamukweremi. Tree and mushroom planting is done in these gardens.
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These are of both indigenous and exotic variety.
A lease agreement between the City of Harare and members of this project was signed last year.
The ultimate objective is to turn this garden into a cultural and awareness centre.
“We essentially are targeting both the young and elderly to receive and give counselling, including circumcision. In other words, these projects thrive to establish an information and counselling centre on a broad scale,” Lovemore Mumba said, one of the founding members.
“We are cognisant of the fact that the youths should be informed and taught the intricacies of herbs and herbal treatment.
We feel it is our cultural duty and we also embrace the broader collective responsibility to bring these young people on board to our social and cultural setting. This is a legacy which we thrive to leave behind, to let pass from generation to generation,” said Mumba .
Members of the centre wish to work closely with the Department of Social and Community Services.
Soon a liaison services team is to be set up for this purpose.
The biggest hurdle and greatest challenge that this project faces is none other than the obvious- financial constraints.
The project’s finance department calls upon well-wishers to come to the centre and see for themselves the situation on the ground.
The centre is grateful to the department of social and community services — Magamba Hall; for the co-operation so far.
