Plough back into communities: First Lady
RURAL communities can witness rapid transformation and growth if people adopt a culture of ploughing back to areas in which they grew up, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa has said.
She made the remarks following the renovations she made at Kakora Primary School where she started her education many years ago.
The First Lady refurbished classroom blocks and a church building among other facilities at the school as a way of giving back to the community and encouraging other citizens in affluent positions and those with means to help rebuild facilities in areas where they grew up.
Besides having the school renovated, the First Lady has had a hospital in the area refurbished.
She built a health post named after her late mother, Maria Theresa which offers outpatient, maternal and child health services for her local community.
Amai Mnangagwa also has plans to build a waiting shelter at the health post for expectant mothers.
Furthermore, the First Lady revamped and repainted Rosa clinic where she was born.
“As a country we can achieve more in terms of development if people look back and assist the communities in which they grew up.
“A number of facilities in rural areas are crying out for a facelift, yet they produced a number of people in affluent positions. We need to start assisting our own communities as a way of promoting development. Nepadiki munhu paunenge unapo ipapo chaive chikumbiro changu kuti utarisewo kwawakabva woona paungabatsire. I am humbly encouraging us all to be constantly in touch with our rural communities and work with our local leaders in developing them,” she said.
Through her Angel of Hope Foundation, the mother of the nation has committed herself to improving facilities countrywide, including the community in which she was raised.
She has prioritised the social and economic advancement of vulnerable communities ensuring they have access to food, shelter and healthcare.
Kakora Primary school now stands immaculately in the village with the renovations giving it a fresh new look.
Mazowe Central legislator Honourable Sydney Chidamba said the school now looks like it was recently established because of the new look courtesy of the First Lady.
He encouraged his fellow legislators and those in higher positions to emulate the First Lady.
”We want to thank in a big way the work that is being done by the First Lady in her home area and the country at large,” he said.
Quoting the Shona idiom “natsa kwawabva kwaunoenda husiku (which can be loosely translated to do well where you are coming from because the future is not certain)” the member of Parliament said what the First Lady had done was a big lesson for all citizens.
“This encourages even those in the diaspora and in affluent jobs to go back to their rural areas and uplift the communities there.
“We are proud of her as our mother and child from this area. As a First Lady she is humbling herself. She built a clinic that is serving the community, she refurbished the hospital and today we are witnessing great works here at Kakora where she started her primary school education.
“This teaches children in different areas, be they MPs or CEO’s that they should plough back in the communities they grew up in. Here we are being uplifted through the First Lady,” he said with satisfaction.
Even the current school head Mrs Rudo Bhunu was charmed by the developments at the institution.
“I am so happy with what the First Lady did here to have the school refurbished. There was a lot of dust coming in the classrooms through cracks which caused flu, but this is now all in the past. I urge other people who learnt here to come back and plough back the way our mother did. This helps improve the school so that our children get valuable education. The First Lady helps a lot of people countrywide, but she also remembered where she grew up. I want to thank her for doing good for Kakora Primary school,” she said.
Equally charmed was the district schools inspector for Mazowe under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Mr Alexander Mutenha.
He said the school stood to reap numerous benefits just because of the new look it now spots.
“I want to thank the First Lady for improving the education delivery system here where she has practically renovated this school. She also provided personal protective equipment (PPE) and sanitisers to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“When it comes to renovations of the schools, there are so many advantages associated with it. One advantage is that the school image improves where you would find caring and maintenance of buildings becomes manageable. It also motivates learners and teachers,” said the educationist while beaming with pride.
Village head Mr Garikai Kanengoni, who heads Kanengoni Village described the First Lady as God-sent and urged other people to emulate her.
“What she has done is a big lesson for our people. We must learn to support our communities ,” he said with happiness written all over his face.
Parents whose children enrolled at Kakora appreciated the First Lady for the initiative.
Mr Cleopas Chirunga quipped: “As a parent I want to thank Amai. We are much delighted with the development which is before us. Tinokutendai Amai nerudo rwenyu,” he said.
Gogo Rhoda Chinyoka (84) from the community was also happy and could not hide her joy as she narrated how she saw the First Lady growing up.
“We want to thank the First Lady mwana wedu wemuno anotidadisa for spearheading such initiatives in our area. Through developments she is initiating in this area, I have seen what looking back and giving back means with my own eyes something that i had never seen. Mwanasikana uyu anoitwa Akusiriya (First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa) mwana akakurira muno akadzidza pa Kakora Primary School apa. Aipfuura nekuzasi kwemagarden edu everyday achienda kunochera mvura mu ‘Keep’. She was and is still well mannered, she would not pass my homestead without coming to greet us as her elders. May God keep blessing her,” she said.
Denzel Washington once said; “At the end of the day it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished . . . it’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.”