First Lady’s benevolence empowers Doma community . . . as literacy level rises
FIRST LADY Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s hand has been visible in efforts to ensure members of the previously marginalised Doma community in Kanyemba attend school, among other life-changing empowerment programmes she has initiated.
Previously, community members did not attend school owing to a number of factors, including the unavailability of schools.
Each time she visits the area, the First Lady spends a week or longer staying with the people while listening to their concerns and finding ways to address them.
Some of the learners had their fees and consumables paid for by the First Lady through her Angel of Hope Foundation which is touching lives throughout the country.
Even the President recently commended the First Lady saying her travels were influencing development in the areas she visits.
“Wherever she goes people form clubs and carry forward the programmes she would have initiated. She would go to Kanyemba and come to share with me what she would have encountered and plead with me to look into the areas she would have highlighted. When she first went to Kanyemba, she told me lots of stories and I quickly sent my ministers to look into the issues.
“I am happy to announce that there are good roads connecting to Kanyemba. We are building schools and clinics there. We agreed to make it a smart city. All this is through the First Lady’s hard work,” the President said during a congratulatory party for the First Lady in Zvishavane.
Prior to the First Lady’s intervention, learners in Kanyemba lagged behind in education as they could neither read nor write, but now some of them have progressed to do Form One at Chapoto Secondary School.
What compounded their challenges was the absence of schools in their community and learning materials, something which Dr Mnangagwa has been addressing.
Mr Partson Chitoro, the head of Mariga Primary School gave a glimpse of the journey travelled so far with the assistance of the First Lady.
“I wish to thank the First Lady for helping us in having a school after a long time without a school for the Doma community. We started with learners from ECD A to Grade Three. I am grateful that we now have learners who completed Grade Seven last year with the assistance of the First Lady who was paying their fees through her Angel of Hope Foundation.
“These children were supported with everything including books and uniforms. The children performed very well that out of 35 primary schools that we have in Mbire District, they came out eighth even though it was their first time to write Grade Seven examinations. I am also thankful for the projects that she undertakes here,” Mr Chitoro said.
The headmaster of Chapoto Secondary School, Mr Cosmas Guvheya, echoed similar sentiments and paid tribute to the First Lady for her life-changing interventions.
Members of the Doma community of Mariga under Chief Chapoto, Mr Guvheya said, were primitive for a long time as they were not receiving any education due to a number of factors.
He said the children could not attend a school which is far away in another community and they risked life and limb crossing a flooded river and encountering wildlife.
“Though there was a school on the other side of the community, it was far away from the Doma community and also a flooded river and wildlife were a barrier.
“There was remarkable change when Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa constantly visited the community. She observed that Mariga Community needed a school so that the aged children would attend school. Since the people were lagging behind in civilisation, the First Lady noted that the essence of education was key,” he said.
Amai Mnangagwa, who has a passion for the empowerment of communities through education as evidenced by her schools feeding programme and partnership with Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) which is offering courses to citizens countrywide for free, regularly visits the area and spends close to a week there while undertaking various developmental programmes.
She advocated the opening of Mariga Primary School to motivate and empower the people through education.
“The school was opened by erecting Early Childhood Development (ECD) class which comprised all age groups and some of the learners were married. The aim was for them to be able to read and write. The move was done in the year 2018.
“The ECD voluntary teachers were a couple who were getting incentives from the First Lady herself. Learners on the Mariga side of Mwazamutanda then benefited by enrolling at Mariga Primary school.
“On her several visits to the community, the First Lady would bring reading books, stationery and many other learning resources. Learners would be furnished with clothing and uniforms.
“Most importantly Dr Mnangagwa at some point through her foundation paid school levies for the whole school and she influenced the construction of classroom blocks at Mariga Primary school,” he said.
The school was adorned with a fish pond and an orchard all being provided by the First Lady.
There is significant progress, education-wise, with those who wrote Grade Seven last year performing averagely.
With their ages, there were suggestions that the learners be put in vocational training centres to acquire life skills.
“The learners are over aged with the youngest at 18 years and some have families at home, but they are only in Form One.
“The head teacher and the school governing body were of the opinion that the learners be enrolled at the Vocational Training Centres to attain education with and for production. They are now able to read and write, thus they can manage to learn.
“Furthermore, the Doma community especially the school going age ,are now concentrating on schooling and the elders are now focused on education as well through the help of our mother.
“Amai Mnangagwa did not concentrate on Mariga community alone, she extended her focus to Chapoto primary school as well as Chapoto Secondary school,” Mr Guvheya said.
On her visit to Kanyemba in 2018, the First Lady selected learners who had excelled at Chapoto primary school and took them through to Form Four while catering for their fees.
At the secondary school, she proposed for a low cost boarding facility to cater for Mariga learners due to the flooding river and wildlife barriers.
The First Lady sourced building materials and construction is underway.
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