Online Reporter
Obey Musiwa-Herald Reporter
TWENTY students from child-headed households, orphaned homes and candlelit classrooms across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces have been awarded fully funded university scholarships by the Bridging the Gap Foundation, founded by businessman and humanitarian Dr Kudakwashe Tagwirei and his wife, Sandra.
The BGF Research Scholarship Programme, launched in partnership with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, targets academically outstanding students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, covering full tuition, accommodation, examination fees and a monthly stipend, while removing every financial barrier standing between talent and a university degree.
Speaking at the handover ceremony to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education yesterday, Minister Torerayi Moyo said the programme proved that excellence could emerge from anywhere in Zimbabwe.
He said Government alone could not carry the burden of expanding access to education.
“Talent knows no geographical boundaries and opportunity should know none either. The beneficiaries are not merely pursuing academic qualifications. They are preparing to become custodians of health, justice and human dignity,” he said.
BGF CEO Mr Mberikwazvo Chitambo, speaking on behalf of founder Dr Tagwirei, said the foundation was built not on abundant resources, but on a faith-driven conviction to give.
He said the scholars themselves were now expected to become part of that giving chain by mentoring younger, vulnerable learners.
“We do not give because we have; we give because we are given.”
He said the scholarship was designed to spark a movement, not merely change individual lives.
“That is how a scholarship, in our mind, becomes a movement. That is how a bridge, in our thinking, becomes a highway.”
The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Director for Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Dr Willie Ganda, said scholarships awarded through the BGF are a deliberate investment in Zimbabwe’s intellectual and professional future.
“Every scholarship we award is a deliberate investment in our national intellectual and professional strength.
“Scholarship recipients, this scholarship is a commitment to your graduation by facilitating a 100 percent completion rate. No student should drop out for financial reasons. No student will fail for lack of support.”
University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Mapfumo, said the institution warmly welcomes the new scholarship recipients to pursue studies in law and medicine, urging them to make full use of the resources provided.
“The mistakes one makes in life cannot be reversed or corrected, but they can be learned from to perfect tomorrow’s path.
“The University of Zimbabwe welcomes you, and we expect the full utilisation of these fully funded scholarships in the service of national development,” he said.
A beneficiary learner from Gokwe, Olga Sitotombe, speaking on behalf of all 20 recipients, said the scholars understood the weight of what had been entrusted to them and were committed to returning that investment to their communities.
“Your investment in our education is an investment in Zimbabwe’s future.
“We will use our education not only for our personal success, but also to strengthen our communities, institutions and nation,” she said.
