Chronicle Editor
Amanda Mlevu, Sunday News Reporter
THE Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture has initiated a programme of promoting fitness and wellness at the workplace, recently holding a Walk For Life in Tsholotsho.
Running under the theme, “Curbing Non-Communicable Diseases Through Sports”, the walk saw people walking from Iyabhalansa to Mavela, a distance of about six kilometres.
In an interview with Sunday News, Tsholotsho District Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture officer Ms Coddelia Ncube said it is their belief that the working class spend most of their time in offices and in cars hence having little time to spare on exercising.
“We want to encourage the working class to be actively involved in sport as a way of living a healthy life. That is part of the reason we invited everyone to a walk from Iyabhalansa to Mavela,” said Ms Ncube.
Ms Ncube said the Walk for Life Programme is being implemented from ward level up to national level and it seeks to bring the significance of people participating in sport and how it benefits their lifestyle.
“This programme is also here to enhance on emotional, mental and physical health. It will also encompass the participation of people with disability as our national mantra states that we should leave no one and no place behind,” she added.
All Government departments operating in the district took part in the walk, together with church leaders and other key figures in the community.
Ms Ncube said they also involved young children in the programme.
“We also wanted to involve the young ones because everyone deserves to live a healthy life, which is why we also organised a football tournament where more than 300 people came through and we can safely say it was a success,” Ms Ncube said.
She said considering that drug and substance abuse is a menace to the young people, they had a drug and substance abuse awareness exercise through sports.
Ms Ncube said in the beginning of next month they are planning to cascade the programme to ward level where their ward development co-ordinators will be facilitating the events.
“Come next month we are planning to take Walk for Life to ward level and we hope that the programme will address risks associated with non-communicable diseases as well as promoting fitness and wellness among officials at the workplaces,” she said.
She said stakeholders were asked to walk every Wednesday from 8am and as a ministry they agreed to meet them and ensure all office workers stay fit.
“After we held our Walk For Life, stakeholders asked to have a continuity of the programme and we agreed to meet every Wednesday in the morning, this will benefit a lot since most of these workers spend a lot of their time sitting down which is not healthy at all,” said Ms Ncube.
Online Reporter