Online Reporter
Conrad Mupesa
Features Writer
FORMER learners of Chinhoyi Technical High School are turning their attachment to their former school into tangible investments in education, sport and infrastructure through the Chinhoyi High Old Students Association.
From drilling boreholes and supporting sporting programmes to providing financial assistance and creating scholarship opportunities, CHOSA is helping to improve the learning environment and broaden opportunities for pupils at the school.
Speaking at a recent school event, CHOSA chairman and former learner, Mr Blessing Taruza, said the association’s interventions were driven by a desire to restore the school’s pride, while ensuring current learners benefited from opportunities that could shape their futures.
“Through our former students organisation, CHOSA, we have supported initiatives aimed at developing sport and infrastructure at our former school,” said Mr Taruza.
Over the years, former pupils have contributed to practical projects, including the drilling of boreholes, helping the school address water-related needs that directly affect learners and staff.
The association has also placed sport at the centre of its support, recognising the school’s long-standing sporting tradition.
Mr Taruza said former pupils, who attended the school during its stronger sporting years, when it used to go by the name Chinhoyi High School (CHS), remained passionate about seeing the institution reclaim its place among leading schools.
“If you want to raise funds from former pupils of former Group A schools, such as CTHS, you cannot come and say to us, ‘the kids are now playing pada, can you come and support’,” he said.
“We grew up playing cricket and rugby. In 1979, Chinhoyi Technical High School was the number one ranked rugby school in the country.”
He said the school’s current leadership had succeeded in reconnecting former pupils with their alma mater by presenting a vision centred not only on infrastructure and sporting success, but also on creating opportunities for young people.
“When former pupils talk about bringing this school back to its former glory, we are not simply talking about buildings. We are not simply talking about trophies and we are not simply talking about memories,” said Mr Taruza.
“We are talking about restoring a sense of pride. We are talking about creating opportunities for the young people who now walk the same corridors that we once walked.”
CHOSA’s support has also extended beyond Zimbabwe, with its American chapter making significant contributions towards school programmes.
Last year, CHOSA donated US$7 500 towards helping the school host the NASH Rugby Tournament, providing financial support for the development of school sport. This year, the organisation has donated US$12 500, which is being used to support the development of the Stuart field tunnel, the construction of a rugby scrum machine and field benches.
Furthermore, the organisation is now introducing a US$7 500 rugby scholarship to a pupil accepted at St Thomas University in Miami, Florida.
Mr Taruza said the scholarship demonstrated how relatively small interventions could have life-changing consequences for individual pupils.
“One pupil. One opportunity. One scholarship. One small beginning that could change an entire life,” he said.
The association has also attracted corporate support, with companies recognising the importance of working with schools and communities to improve education and sporting facilities.
Mr Taruza specifically acknowledged one of their fellow former pupils, Mr Dunmore Mutyambizi, the owner of PRIMUS, for purchasing sports uniforms and providing a generator for the school’s rugby field.
He said the contribution demonstrated that meaningful change did not necessarily require organisations to be the biggest players in the economy.
“Sometimes, you don’t have to be the biggest to make the biggest difference. What matters is the willingness to step forward and do something meaningful,” he said.
The former pupil, who was part of the 1996 Ordinary Level class, was a prefect that received academic and sporting colours during his time at Chinhoyi Technical High School.
He is now a finance and accounting executive based in the United States, with more than 19 years of professional experience spanning private equity, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure, manufacturing, public company reporting and fund administration. He is also a pastor with Forward in Faith Ministries (FIFMI) based in Miami, Florida.
Mr Taruza said the continued involvement of former pupils was important because they had a responsibility to ensure that the next generation benefitted from the same institution that had helped shape their own lives.
CHOSA, Mr Taruza said, intends to build a lasting relationship with the school, and mobilising financial resources, professional networks and goodwill to address practical needs while opening doors for talented pupils.
