JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (ADV) – Established in 2016, the Zimbabwe Leeds Community (ZLC) now boasts of a membership of more than 300 people.
The ZLC is a community project working to unite Zimbabwean Diasporans and assisting in the exiles’ integration to ensure that the respective communities have settled across the world.
The organisation’s Executive Committee member Chris Goshomi said the major dilemma in migrant communities is the struggle to balance between integrating into the new country, embracing the new ways of life and culture whilst not losing your identity.
“The birth of ZLC was inspired by the hope and faith of the people of Zimbabwe living in Leeds as an attempt to recover a lost community which they once had in their country of origin,” said Goshomi.
Added Goshomi, “A major dilemma in migrant communities is the struggle to balance between integrating into the new country, embracing the new ways of life and culture whilst not losing your identity.”
Goshomi further mentioned that the main objectives of ZLC is to mobilise and bring people together, build a centralised community promoting and supporting each other in times of need and engaging local authorities in tailoring services to suit their needs.
“Our existence awareness is growing and growing. We now have nearly 300 people who are fully subscribed to the group. Each day sees additional members coming in. In the previous year we had a very successful ZLC launch, which attracted the local authority and the police as a major step to engaging with key community stakeholders in Leeds.”
He added that this project was mostly about bringing different communities in Zimbabwe and need to concentrate on engaging the local authority.
© Bur-JHB – M.C / K.R – African Daily Voice (ADV) – Follow us on Twitter : @ADVinfo_eng
