Masango Matimura
Masango Matimura is a Zimbabwean who lives in the Manicaland (eastern) Province. He is an ordained Minister. He is the founding Director of Holistic Peace and Development Zimbabwe (HPDZ), a groundbreaking not-for-profit organization promoting reconciliation and spiritual and economic development in Zimbabwe. Masango was a 2010-2011 Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, a professional development program sponsored by the US State Department. As a Humphrey Fellow he was based at the University of Minnesota Law School where he studied Human Rights and Law.
During his Fellowship year Masango became a Wilberforce International Institute mentee which led him to his current work promoting peace and human rights in Zimbabwe. Masango presently provides a model for economic and community development through knowledge-based and technology-aided farming. His aim is to ensure household food security in Zimbabwe. He holds an MA in Peace and International Relations and earned his BA as a double major in Community Development and Biblical and Religious Studies.
What has your association with Wilberforce meant to you personally, spiritually, and professionally?
My association with Wilberforce has been incredibly important to me personally and professionally: It has expanded my network of friends not only nationally but internationally as well. I now have Christian friends from many parts of the world as a result of my participation in the Global Summits. I came to the USA in 2010 as a Hubert. H. Humphrey Fellow studying Human Rights and Law at the University of Minnesota Law School. My Human Rights Cohort had 12 members and I was the only one from Africa. However, as I participated in Wilberforce organized activities I realized that there were many mentees from Africa. Secondly, it was through my association with Wilberforce that I managed to connect my ministry, Holistic Peace and Development Zimbabwe (HPDZ), first with Global Horizons Inc, and later with The Ministry Office. For an entire academic year (2010-2011), I met with my Wilberforce mentor every Tuesday for our of mentorship discussions. They were life-changing meetings that culminated in further connections with the ministries above. As a Pastor and a Christian, the concept of a “Christ-animated redemptive change agent” forms my motivation to please Christ and serve Him in whatever situation I face back home (Zimbabwe). I seek to develop a theology of peacemaking and development based on a holistic worldview drawn from a deeper understanding of the Bible and Christian teachings.
What are you doing now that is creating “redemptive change” in your community/city/country/profession?
Now, I am currently working in the following areas: Pastoral ministry, peace, reconciliation and community healing and community development.
Pastoral ministry: I strongly feel that God called me to serve him by preaching and teaching the Bible to those around me. In 2015 I planted a church from scratch. Over time the numbers have been increasing as new members are joining the group. We are operating under the name Mt. Hermon Community Church.
Reconciliation work: I promote reconciliation, community healing, and nonviolent approaches to addressing conflicts. This is a task I do together with fellow pastors and other church leaders. I work with church groups such as Churches in Manicaland, Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace. Representing the Evangelical church groups in Manicaland Province, I am part of the Provincial Peace Committee under Zimbabwe’s constitutionally instituted National Peace and Reconciliation Commission. Using all these platforms, I work to bring the light of Christ to community and national redemption.
Community Development: I am also promoting community development here in Nyazura, a rural and farming community. People of Nyazura have more access to land than most rural communities around. Farmers here own land ranging from 5 to 35 hectares. Unfortunately, most of these farmers struggle to feed their families. In addition to food insecurity, the people lack stable incomes.