Online Reporter
Blessings Chidakwa-Senior Reporter
BELARUSIAN Ambassador to Zimbabwe Yury Nikalaichyk yesterday paid a maiden courtesy call on First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, pledging to expand existing collaboration with the Angel of Hope Foundation, particularly in healthcare, women’s empowerment, child welfare, cultural exchange and education.
Ambassador Nikalaichyk said his visit marked the beginning of his diplomatic mission in Zimbabwe and provided an opportunity to review progress made since the First Lady’s visit to Belarus a few years ago.
Tangible progress is also being made through a women’s empowerment exchange programme that is currently underway, aimed at strengthening skills development, entrepreneurship and institutional linkages between women in Zimbabwe and Belarus.
This is complemented by visible improvements in child nutrition and welfare, with infant milk formula from Belarus now available in Zimbabwean retail outlets. Plans are also in place to expand supplies and introduce specialised canned meat products for children onto the Zimbabwean market.
Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa commended Belarus for its continued support to the country and the Angel of Hope Foundation, saying their partnership has led to a range of joint initiatives, including women’s exchange programmes through which delegations from both countries interact and share experiences in business and the arts.
She said these programmes have empowered women to build networks across sectors such as mining, tourism and agriculture, while also encouraging greater economic participation.
“We are still working on that programme, and very soon my office will host a delegation, an expanded group of businesswomen from Zimbabwe, which will also visit Belarus, and vice versa, so that they can learn more about what we are doing as women,” she said.
The First Lady added that the partnership between Zimbabwean and Belarusian women’s groups would continue to expand, with future programmes expected to deepen cooperation and mutual learning.
In 2023 and 2024, the First Lady led a delegation of Zimbabwean female entrepreneurs to Belarus at the invitation of the Belarusian government and businesswomen’s institutions, citing inspiration from her hands-on approach.
The visit provided the Zimbabwean delegation with a platform to explore business opportunities and strengthen commercial ties and cultural diplomacy.
She emphasised that women should play a central role in national development, starting from the family unit and extending into broader economic participation.
“To strengthen our countries, women, especially mothers, should take the lead and say, ‘This is how we work’,” she said.
She also highlighted cooperation on infant nutrition, noting that Zimbabwe has agreed to make Belarusian milk more widely available after recognising its nutritional value for young children.
“I found that the milk is a very good nutritional product for infants and young children,” she said.
“We want to explore more opportunities to see how we can expand its availability so that more people get to know about and benefit from this type of milk.”
Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa further expressed appreciation for Belarus’ support to Zimbabwe’s health sector, particularly through the donation of a mobile clinic to the Angel of Hope Foundation, which has strengthened cancer screening programmes across the country.
“I want to thank His Excellency President Alexander Lukashenko for donating the mobile clinic, which has enabled cancer screening in all provinces of Zimbabwe,” she said.
She said the facility is helping women in hard-to-reach areas through daily screening services and is currently stationed at Parirenyatwa Hospital, where women are screened weekly.
The mobile clinic has improved access to healthcare in remote communities and is playing a key role in early detection of cancer. It is equipped with an ultrasound scanner, an advanced gynaecological oncology screening unit and a radiation machine, enabling screening for cervical, breast and prostate cancer.
With the advanced equipment, breast cancer can be detected at an early stage, significantly reducing the risk of cancer-related deaths.
In an interview after the meeting, Ambassador Nikalaichyk said Belarus and Zimbabwe were implementing agreements reached during the First Lady’s 2023 and 2024 visits, covering healthcare, child welfare, education, cultural exchange, women’s empowerment and stronger cooperation between women’s organisations.
He said these areas would remain central to the Zimbabwe-Belarus partnership under the 2026-2030 bilateral roadmap, with cooperation in infant nutrition already yielding tangible results through the supply of high-quality Belarusian products to Zimbabwe.
“Starting from 2023, according to high-level agreements, we worked on supplying Zimbabwe with Belarusian infant formula from the Bellakt Milk Plant.
“It is a high-quality infant formula which is natural, organic and very good for a child’s health, and it has been clinically proven,” he said.
Ambassador Nikalaichyk revealed that the first batch of the infant formula was already available in retail stores across Zimbabwe.
“The first batch is already in retail stores here in Zimbabwe, and we plan to expand our cooperation in this field as agreed by His Excellency President Lukashenko and the First Lady,” he said.
He said Belarus was also exploring opportunities to supply other specialised products for children.
“We may also provide Zimbabwe with some other goods for infants and children.
“This includes canned meat specially produced for children. We are currently in the process of technical certification for supply to the Zimbabwean market,” he said.
The courtesy call reflects the warm relations between Zimbabwe and Belarus and the shared commitment to implementing programmes that improve the well-being of women and children while deepening cooperation between the two nations.
