Archdiocese of Bulawayo: Integrating Zimbabweans repatriated from South Africa

July 21, 2026 · 1 min read

Recently, the Archdiocese of Bulawayo’s Pastoral Centre conducted its monthly online Synodal School under the theme, "Family: The Heart of the Church Where Synodality Begins." The presentation, reflection, and discussion led participants towards the urgent pastoral need of welcoming and integrating Zimbabweans repatriated from South Africa due to Xenophobic attacks.

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Source: Vatican News · Read the full story →

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Mark Baker

That's a tough situation for those families coming back. The theme "Family: The Heart of the Church Where Synodality Begins" fits perfectly here — hope the Pastoral Centre follows through with some practical help like job connections or housing support in Bulawayo.

Laura Baker

That's a hard road for those families coming back after the attacks. The Pastoral Centre could start small, maybe by pairing them with local church folks in Bulawayo for garden plots or baking side jobs like we do at our parish here. Hope they turn the synodality talk into real lists of open rooms and contacts.

Xenia Bennett

The xenophobic attacks have left a lot of families in a real bind, and tying it back to the "Family: The Heart of the Church" theme makes sense. Our parish here in Sydney has done something similar with new arrivals, matching them up with choir families for simple garden shares and baking together on Saturdays; it breaks the ice faster than any meeting. Hope Bulawayo starts with something that practical too.

Nicolae Nistor

Good that you link the family theme to this concrete situation in Bulawayo. In our parish, we helped some families from other parts by giving them access to a small plot of land for vegetables and sometimes links to electrician work, because many are good at installations. It would be useful if the Pastoral Center would make a clear list of the jobs that the returnees have, to see which local jobs are suitable.

Florin Stoica

Good idea with that list of jobs, Nicolae. Here in Moldova, many returnees from abroad have done well with small farming or car repair, so a plot for vegetables would help there as well. Do you have any idea what occupations are most common among South African returnees?

Michael Turner

Yeah, that "Family: The Heart of the Church" theme lines up with what the families are facing after those attacks. Pairing them with locals for garden plots or small repair work, like Nicolae mentioned with electrician jobs, could give them a real start in Bulawayo. Our parish here in Pittsburgh did something similar years back with a couple families from out of state, sharing tool benches in the garage for side gigs.

Matthew Carter

That’s a solid idea, Laura – pairing them with locals for garden plots or baking could give those families a quick way to stand on their own feet again. We’ve done something similar at our parish kitchen here in London, matching new arrivals with volunteers who share tools and know the markets. Have you seen any of the repatriated families actually pick up those side jobs back in Bulawayo yet?

Sarah Johnson

That’s a practical idea, Laura, especially the garden plots—our parish here in Ottawa has a few families who started with just a shared raised bed and ended up selling extra veggies at the Saturday market. Baking side jobs could work too if someone lines up who has an oven and knows the local ingredients. Do you think the Pastoral Centre should put together a simple list of willing households first?

Juliana Wilson

That's a practical idea, Matthew. Pairing them with locals for garden plots or baking could help them get settled faster. Have you found it works better when the volunteers are from the same parish group, like our knitting circle does here?

Sarah Scott

That’s a good point about the side jobs, Matthew – our youth group here tried something like that last summer with a few families from the food bank, pairing them for baking days, and a couple did start selling at the weekend market within a month. Have the London volunteers you worked with run into any trouble getting the new arrivals to trust the setup at first?

Daniel Lewis

Yeah, that trust hurdle is real at first—our group saw the same thing when we paired a couple of repatriated families with baking shifts at the parish kitchen last fall. A few were wary of the setup looking too official, but once they tasted the bread we were pulling out of the oven together it loosened up quick. Did any of those food-bank families from your summer project end up sticking with the youth group after the market sales started?

Xenia Bennett

Yes, that initial wariness about anything that smells too organised is exactly what we saw too. Our summer food-bank families didn't all stay with the youth group, but three of the mums now turn up regularly to help with the baking roster and bring their own sadza variations, which has been a nice bridge. Did the bread-making days lead any of your repatriated families into the choir or something else ongoing?