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Tendai Rupapa in MT DARWIN
FIRST Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa on Tuesday took her programme of empowering communities through open learning to her home province of Mashonaland Central in grand style with 1 500 prospective beneficiaries, including herself and the Minister of State, registering to undertake various courses on offer by the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU).
The First Lady enrolled for a course in counselling to motivate other women.
As the mother of the nation, counselling dovetails with her work which makes her meet people in various situations.
The courses are being offered free of charge through a partnership between her Angel of Hope Foundation and ZOU.
Mashonaland Central became the sixth province to benefit from the courses which have so far been unveiled in Harare, Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Manicaland and the Female Open prison.
Amai Mnangagwa used the launch of the empowerment programme to also tackle issues affecting communities like domestic violence and child marriages through an interactive session during which discussants confirmed that these cases were rife in their communities.
Empowerment of elderly people through education, the First Lady said, is key in making communities appreciate the importance of sending children to school especially the girl child, thereby ending child marriages.
She also said that economic empowerment of women through education reduces dependence on their spouses thereby curbing cases of domestic violence in homes.
Amai Mnangagwa humbly joined the queue to register for a course just like everyone else and was registered by Dr Eurita Nyamanhare.
Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs and Devolution Monica Mavhunga also joined another queue and registered for a business management course.
Addressing the gathering drawn from all the districts in the province, the First Lady said women countrywide must take advantage of the AOH, ZOU partnership to acquire life-changing university education free of charge and improve their lives.
“Today we have brought education which allows you to continue from wherever you left. Open university is imploring you to grasp the concepts taught and be awarded a ZOU certificate. After graduating, use the knowledge you acquired productively and not to put the certificate under a pillow. These courses are for free and should anyone come asking for money, get them arrested.
“The university has come to your doorstep and is not worried about your background. This is for everyone willing to learn. We do not want to leave anyone behind. Education never ends and please come forward so that we transform our lives as women,” she said.
She expressed dismay at reports that Mashonaland Central Province had high cases of child marriages.
“This comes back to parents who view education of the girl child as not worthwhile because they may also not have gone to school during their time.
“Therefore, we are inviting everyone to come on board and register for these courses so that you see the importance of education which makes you treasure the education of your daughters and not make her leave school midway for marriage. This will curb child marriages,” she said emphatically.
Amai Mnangagwa said the counselling course was critical because people came through a lot in life which may later make them hypertensive or commit suicide.
“We go through a lot in life and some people maintain their cool though deep down they will be affected resulting in high blood pressure and courses like counselling are helpful,” she said.
She asked the gathering to demonstrate a mock counselling session which they did as she corrected them where they went wrong and pointed out the qualities of a counsellor.
The First Lady urged men to take up the courses too as there were many they could undertake.
The youth (boys) told the First Lady that they wanted courses mainly from the Faculty of Agriculture while many girls wanted counselling, ECD and nurse aide.
The First Lady said women and girls’ emancipation and empowerment through education was a global concern while the month of March had been set aside as the Women’s month.
“The International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on the 8th of March and the United Nations 2022 theme us ‘Gender Equality Today for a sustainable tomorrow’.
“Today the first day of Women’s Month, I am here in Mt Darwin District, Mashonaland Central Province, launching Angel of Hope Foundation and the Zimbabwe Open University life-changing short courses which are tailor-made to empower communities, particularly women and girls through open learning,” she said.
The First Lady said the programme was open to everyone, particularly marginalised community members as Vision 2030 would leave no place and no one behind.
“As Angel of Hope, I received the ZOU offer of life-changing courses as good news for education which empowers the once looked down upon communities in the 10 provinces of our beautiful country. Indeed, education in whatever form and whatever level is an indispensable tool for human development. Ndosaka vakuru vedu vakatiudza kuti kudzidza hakupere (That is why our elders told us that learning does not end.”
The mother of the nation said societal transformation involved both a reconstruction of educational institutions and the use of education in reconstructing society.
Education 5.0 which aligns itself with the philosophy on reconstructionism pushed Zou to come up with empowerment through open learning programmes which are meant to complement Angel of Hope Foundation in its endeavour to transform lives of disadvantaged communities,” she said.
ZOU short courses, she said, were meant to pave the way for the creation of a life of dignity that contributed positively to the Zimbabwean society.
“Thus, the provision of free life-changing short courses to communities on the peripheries of development by ZOU is an enormous task that demands all stakeholders’ resourcefulness and commitment as the national Vision 2030 intends to leave no place and no one behind.
“For those who are going to embrace and register for ZOU training programme in Partnership with Angel of Hope Foundation, I am sure that this day will mark the beginning of greater things to come,” she said.
The First Lady said studies revealed that educated women had high capabilities of contributing to the development of their families, communities and the nation.
Women and girls’ education, she said, was positively correlated with increased economic productivity, more robust labour markets, higher earnings and improved society health and well-being.
“Educated mothers are more likely to send their own children to school. Their families become healthier and less likely to be poor. They are less likely to be drawn into exploitative work outside the home or face sexual abuse or violence,” she said.
ZOU vice chancellor Professor Paul Gundani was pleased by the huge turnout at the launch venue and said this showed people had fully embraced the empowerment programme.
“I want to thank you for coming as this is a sign that you have embraced the programme that was brought by our mother. As ZOU we are working with her to uplift people’s lives. This programme is growing and people are embracing it.
“As ZOU we saw it fit to work closely with our hard working First Lady. We have professors and doctors, who are lecturers and are committed to travel across provinces teaching people in fulfilment of the First Lady’s vision.
“The courses we are providing help change the way people are operating like if someone is involved in sales, they require financial literacy to understand how they calculate and handle profits, sales, costing, customer care. If you conduct business without knowledge, it collapses. Bob Nyabinde sang that “some people wake up to sell things early in the morning but to no avail”.
“This is because they will be lacking business knowledge. The courses we are offering are short such that we will not waste your time. These courses are life changing and lifelong. When you complete the studies, we will give you certificates that prove you came through our hands,” said Prof Gundani.
ZOU deans unpacked the courses to the gathering for beneficiaries to fully understand what they entail.
The lectures advised the prospective students to take the courses seriously and attend all lessons.
Minister of State Mavhunga said she was overjoyed that the First Lady had brought development to her province through education.
“I am happy Amai has brought development to this province through education. We are indeed deeply gratified by the mother of the nation’s love.
“Today we gather to witness her unveiling a life-changing programme. She has brought education to all despite age and this brings development and ends violence in the homes as people will become economically empowered. We also want to thank ZOU for partnering Angel of Hope Foundation in this programme,” she said.
The beneficiaries were upbeat and thanked the First Lady for her zeal to empower the nation.
Pastor Gladys Chinoda was grateful for the unprecedented efforts by the First Lady to empower the nation.
“I am thankful for the programme that has been rolled out by Amai. We are in a group called Tirivashe Business Ladies in which we put money together for our welfare. What we really wanted was business knowledge which we lacked. Our mother has brought education to our doorstep. After finishing business management courses, we will now be able to manage the businesses we are undertaking here in Mt Darwin,” she said.
Mrs Farisai Makoto (65) was on cloud nine because she had been afforded a chance to go back to school after having been affected by the war of liberation.
“I failed to go to school because of the liberation war, but now I thirst for education so I can have a better life.
“I am happy with what the First Lady has done for us. I have registered for counselling so I can advise people as I have always been doing in my community though I was not qualified. I am happy that after this course I will be a qualified counsellor. I want to be able to counsel the youths who are being wasted by drugs,” she said.
Mr Time Kachava, who is headman Kandigi (75), said he ended school in Standard One and was grateful to go back to school.
“I thank the First Lady who has rolled out a programme for us to learn and be able to do projects like gardening so that we progress. I want to register for Agriculture so I concentrate on farming,” he said.
Gogo Chipo Fusire (65) ululated and danced as she showed her appreciation for what the mother of the nation has done for her.
“I am overjoyed that I am now going back to school to learn. This programme brought by the First Lady is so good that she has opened for us a way we did not know which is a miracle. The First Lady too has registered giving us a good example and we are also going to register following her footsteps,” she said.
Youthful Mr Takudzwa Rukwenga was also gratified by the First Lady’s initiative.
“Our mother has come to uplift us so that we start projects as youths and leave highly potent drugs which some of us were taking. We will now earn a decent life through the use of our hands,” he said.
Online Reporter