The Bristol Zimbabwe Association - Celebrating the Zimbabwean community

Home of BZA

About The Bristol Zimbabwe Association

BZA is a Bristol based community based non-profit organisation established by Zimbabweans, friends and well-wishers to provide a wide range of services among them advice, information, welfare support, etc to the growing Zimbabwean community in the Bristol area as well as finding solutions to help the ordinary suffering people in Zimbabwe, particularly Aids orphans.

Most of its activities/ events were funded by the Greater Bristol Foundation, Bristol City Council’s Community Regeneration Division, Refugee Action and Terrence Higgins Trust with support from Bristol Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA).

Brief History

The macro-economic conditions and the tense political atmosphere in Zimbabwe have resulted in a number of people emigrating from Zimbabwe and the most popular destination has been the UK. These people have encountered a number of issues, which include:

• Lack of support from extended families and support networks in Zimbabwe
• Integration with the Bristol community and the cosmopolitan society
• Upholding of the Zimbabwean roots and values in a competing capitalist society.

These challenges have necessitated the formation of BZA. The Association has a membership of 80 people, which draws from expatriate Zimbabweans, refugees and well-wishers. The activities of the association are bound by a constitution adopted during an Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 9 October 2004 and are guided by a committee that was chosen on the same meeting.

The Management Committee consists of five members who are elected at the AGM. The team consists of a chairperson, secretary, treasurer and two committee members.

BZA is in the process of registering as a charity organisation.

What We Do:

The Bristol Zimbabwe Association aims to provide a variety of services to the Zimbabwean community as well as encouraging active integration within the Bristol area including the scheduling and coordination of a number of activities and events. These include quarterly meetings for information sharing, a cultural Zimbabwe show, seminars, celebrating historic days for Zimbabwe e.g. Independency Day, an annual fundraising dinner, participate in sports activities such as five –aside football tournaments during Refugee Week, translation services, provide speakers at different foras and have a collective voice when speaking on issues affecting or concerning Zimbabweans in the Bristol area.

In addition we intend to work with other agencies that include professional lobbyists, government agencies to represent our members. We will keep them informed of our members’ plight through communications through this website, newsletter and regular meetings as well as special bulletins.

Aims and objectives

The Specific Objectives of the Bristol Zimbabwe Association are:

To advocate issues of concern to the Zimbabwean community in Bristol

We do this through

• Providing advice and guidance on education, training, employment, health and social care.
• Disseminating quality information on issues which matter to them.
• Organising culturally sensitive customised training programmes.
• Influencing/Lobbying policy makers.
• Being committed to Zimbabwean community in Bristol – being consistent and clear about our service provision, not diluting our principles of support to Zimbabwean community.
• Involving them in our activities at different levels.

To promote and raise awareness of the public and decision-makers about the needs and aspirations of the Zimbabwean community, as well as about their positive contributions to UK society particularly those in the Bristol area.

We do this through:

• Organising conferences and meetings;
• Participating in networks, fora and conferences;
• Production of quality research documents.
• Provide a model of good practice, showing a way of overcoming difficulties between different groups and people of different backgrounds.

We do this through:

• Setting examples of good models of practice in partnership work;
• Encouraging people of Zimbabwe to work together with all other nationalities;
• Promoting networking.
• Creating sound practical policies and procedures.
• Building a network of friends of the people of Zimbabwe

To promote and preserve the Zimbabwe culture and heritage

• Organising events such as celebrating the Zimbabwe Independence day;

Try to find ways of helping the people in need back home in Zimbabwe particularly Aids orphans.

• Organise fundraising events to raise school fees, food and clothes for the young people
  

Equal Opportunities Policy

The Guiding principles are:

• BZA shall be independent of any political party, government or religious organisation
• BZA, in execution of its mandate shall be committed to an equal opportunities policy in all its activities
• BZA is opposed to all forms of discrimination, including those based on age, race, disability, ethnicity, gender, religious faith, sexual orientation and political affiliation
  

Please Sign The Petition

On August 4th there will be a high court hearing in London for individual Zimbabwean cases appealing specifically to suspend any more deportations of failed asylum seekers until it is deemed safe to do so. The Bristol Zimbabwe Association has members whose friends and family could be directly affected by the decision of that high court ruling. In order to influence the decision, the Bristol Zimbabwean Association and supporters, will be in Broadmead, outside the Wesley Chapel on Saturday July 23rd from 10.30 am - 2.00pm asking people to sign a petition against the deportations. They will be encouraging people to sign a petition - see below - requesting the Home Office to suspend removals of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe. If enough people gather with petitions to be signed we could collect thousands of signatures to present to the Home Office in advance of August 4th. Clearly in the light of current events, no-one should at present be returned to Zimbabwe.

The Pierian Centre is supporting this event.

If you know anyone who would come to Broadmead on July 23rd tell them!

Click here to sign the petition
Please print the petition then sign and post it. Thanks for your support.