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Tendai Rupapa in Gweru
THERE were massive celebrations in Gweru yesterday when over 1 000 people from the Midlands Province including WhaWha inmates, received certificates after completing life-transforming empowerment courses under an ongoing partnership between First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s Angel of Hope Foundation and Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU).
Beneficiaries sang, danced and ululated as they toasted to a new lease of life after receiving their certificates in various fields.
What torched wild celebrations, the fourth such event after the partnership between ZOU and Angel of Hope Foundation started, was the announcement that the WhaWha Prison inmates had done well in their studies, beating all groups that started before them.
Two-hundred-and-twenty-six people were given certificates in Agriculture, 234 in Basic Counselling, 59 in Disability Management and Sign Language, 15 in Basic Records Management, 55 in Entrepreneurial and Business Management, 95 in Early Childhood Development, 329 in Nurse Aid and Palliative Care for the Elderly and 44 in Basic Computers.
The First Lady had an interactive session with the inmates where she expressed her heartfelt desire for them to quit crime at all costs and use their newly acquired knowledge productively.
As the health ambassador, Dr Mnangagwa encouraged people to observe Covid-19 protocols of washing hands, masking up and observing social distance since the pandemic was far from over.
“On the 7th of April 2022, 1 204 Angel of Hope Foundation and ZOU partnership beneficiaries were registered to undertake Angel of Hope Foundation/ZOU life-changing short courses. Today, the 28th of December 2022, I feel highly privileged and honoured to officiate at the certification of 1 057 Angel of Hope Foundation beneficiaries who among them are 11 Whawha prison officers and 148 incarcerated young offenders.
“The Whawha prison beneficiaries outshined other trained groups as they were trained in two short courses, and are to receive two certificates each, in agriculture and basic counselling, as one homogenous group. Indeed, this is the first certification ceremony of Angel of Hope Foundation beneficiaries here in Midlands Province though it’s the fourth following certification at Epworth Local Board grounds on the 29th of November 2021, Marondera Female Open Prison on 22 March 2022, and then Epworth Booster open space on 30 May 2022 bringing a total of 2 757 certificated beneficiaries,” she said to applause.
The addition of 1 057 certificates, she said, would bring the certificated figure to a total of 3 814 trained disadvantaged members of communities.
“At this rate, the knowledge driven economy, through reconfigured empowering robust life-changing short courses, sustained growth of our nation would be realised sooner than anticipated. This gathering here today, affords all of us the opportunity to collectively reflect on why we did the short course training and how to use the obtained skills and knowledge more meaningfully while taking advantage of new opportunities.
“While addressing lost opportunities due to circumstantial reasons, some of which were beyond our control, the life-changing short courses training programme provided a window upon which individuals’ unique skills were capacitated.
Thus, the certification is instrumental in empowering and improving the socio-economic mobility of all who are to be certificated today. I thank you all Angel of Hope Foundation beneficiaries for the positive response to the ZOU short course calls. I am sure that the recipients of Angel of Hope Foundation/ZOU certificates have testimonials regarding how the short courses training have started benefitting them since knowledge is an indispensable common good meant to benefit everyone no matter your circumstance,” she said.
Zimbabwe’s economic empowerment, Dr Mnangagwa said, is dependent on the modernisation and industrialisation of Zimbabwe, which in turn is underpinned by the quality of its citizenry.
Through the Zimbabwe National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) blueprint, Dr Mnangagwa said, human capital development is the number one pillar whose base is education in its different forms tailor-made to suit diverse situations.
Angel of Hope Foundation and ZOU short courses, she said, have a vital role of empowering impoverished girls and women out of poverty by providing them with the means to participate fully in their communities.
“Education is the most powerful tool for creating economic growth and impacting future generations with far wide-reaching economic and social gains. Chimurenga chepfungwa, as Baba would say, holds the key to a better life. People in Midlands Province, your centrality position challenges you to reflect positive mirror images of what would be happening in other regions. Thus, you hold the key to Zimbabwe’s national vision of attaining a prosperous upper-middle income society by 2030.
“Naturally as a mother, the incarceration of young offenders at Whawha Prison pains my heart. However, I am happy that all 148 incarcerated young male offenders were trained in agriculture and basic counselling. Besides knowledge and skills capacitation, receiving training with prison officers as one group, redefined them as a people with special skills capable of benefiting themselves and others. Thus, a correctional journey by the young offenders gained positive strides as inmates and their guards were united as learners for a common cause. Their rehabilitation and reintegration with society by practising the acquired learning experiences induced in them a transformed mindset to the benefit of their families and communities. Thank you, Zimbabwe Open University for doing a splendid job which shows commitment to the national vision of leaving no place and no one behind despite one’s circumstances. People in Midlands province, one way of identifying acquired positive learning experiences is through change of behaviour.
“Let me end my speech by saying that besides receiving these certificates, you would make me feel good and more satisfied if all of you would make use of the gained knowledge and skills to better your lives and communities. This would have ripple effects of feeding into the national vision broadly underpinned by a knowledgeable and skilled productive human capital resource for the modernisation and industrialisation of our country. ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo,’ sekutaura kwababa. This is true for all nations, including Zimbabwe,” she said.
As founder and patron of Angel of Hope Foundation, the First Lady said yesterday she had been made to feel like a worthwhile mother.
“The educational footprint symbolised by the Angel of Hope Foundation and ZOU certificates is only the first step on a productive transformative journey. To ZOU, more work is still on your shoulders as seven other Midlands province districts are eagerly awaiting the promised training and certification ceremonies. What you did, taking up the courses is the real deal vana baba, vana mai nemi vana vangu. Some failed to proceed with education due to various circumstances but this programme came free of charge so that we all learn and acquire knowledge. We want to end the bad names we get from the communities using the certificate we received today. We shall continue working together and I am confident you will not embarrass me,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa had sound advice for the prisoners and prison officers whom she congratulated for committing their time to study.
“Being incarcerated is just rehabilitation but when you come back into society, you have something to do. You were given an opportunity that while serving time, you have a future tomorrow, so go to school. I also wish to thank the officers who are here who also undertook the courses thus supporting the inmates. When the officers also undertook the short courses, it does not mean that they did not go to school, but they joined these children (inmates) to strengthen them. I thank you officers for looking after these children and for your love. Keep correcting them, these are your younger brothers and look after them until they come out and when done serving their sentences you then ask as to what they will be doing in the societies they live in. Vanangu, by affording you a chance to learn means you have not been forgotten, but you know what you did to be in this place. We want you to come back very soon as a changed person, that is why you got this opportunity.
In prison I know there is a lot you are taught on top of the certificates that you have received here today. When you come back you will be having more and ZOU has given you certificates that you will place on the wall to remember that year I was disciplined because of such a case and I will not repeat the mistake. But that is where I got this certificate. When you come back you will have good things and somewhere to start from,” she said to applause.
ZOU Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Gundani said his institution was happy to work with the First Lady because of her hard work and quest to empower the lot of Zimbabweans.
She also thanked Dr Mnangagwa for accepting an honorary Doctorate in Development Studies from ZOU.
“The First Lady, Dr Mnangagwa is a person we respect because of her hard work and as ZOU we said we would be pleased to work with her through her Angel of Hope Foundation because she teaches a lot in the country through her many educative programmes. As an open university, our doors are open. We are not open only for Form Six leavers but Form Four and those with as little as three subjects and even those without any education. Why then are you afraid to be part of us through the Angel of Hope Foundation? We are working with Amai on short courses countrywide so that we build a foundation and see that university education is not for Harare alone. It is also for every community, village and street. It is for everyone and we want you to place these certificates in frames so that children appreciate that you indeed went through university education and it will be a good inspiration to them. You are an inspiration, but the greatest inspiration is the First Lady. She thought about uplifting the whole country which we admired and chose to work with her. Today as we witness the certification, I would like to say there is a poet called Chinodya. On the day we held a graduation and when Amai was conferred with a doctorate, I will share a few words the poet said: ‘Nothing is better than the best. We have the best in our mother. You are a dedicated patron, ambassador. Amai was also given doctorates in India and Russia. Some countries see the good things that she does and honour her and why can’t we do the same,” he said to applause.
Beneficiaries of yesterday’s certificates were on cloud nine.
One of the inmates Tatenda Mangwari said: “Your excellency, the First Lady Dr Auxiilia Mnangagwa, on behalf of the officer in charge WhaWha young offenders superintendent Thabani Ndlovu, all officers at our station and all inmates here and indeed on my own behalf, I would like to thank you so much for taking your time off your busy schedule to be here with us today for this momentous occasion. As inmates we really appreciate what you have done for us through the Zimbabwe Open University. Your wise words you have shared with us today will not go to waste. I promise that the knowledge which we have gained will be put to good use. My request to you is that this partnership must not stop, but let it be part and parcel of our great institution. We love you mhamha and we thank you for this programme and many other projects you always initiate for us.”
Youthful Arsher Jimu, who is disabled, praised Dr Mnangagwa for coming to their rescue.
“We are thankful for what you did for us through your Angel of Hope Foundation and ZOU. It’s also a privilege to stand before you Amai. On behalf of persons with disabilities, you saw it fit that no matter your situation and medical challenge, you deserve empowerment and to be independent, we salute you for that our loving mother. I acquired skills in entrepreneurship and business management so that I can be able to be financially independent and foster a good life for myself. We thank you heartily. There are lots of marginalised persons in our communities, but Amai you are doing your best to economically empower us all,” he said.
Mrs Pity Peace Dube echoed similar sentiments.
“I wish to thank you for the chance you gave us as madzimai to acquire knowledge and skills. Without being selective, as the mother of the nation, you love newborns, youths, those with disabilities, the elderly, the list is endless Amai. We are thankful for the work you do in our great nation of Zimbabwe. I am joyful today as my heart is filled with happiness. I now have this university certificate nekuchembera ikoku. As women, we are forever grateful to Amai. May the good Lord fulfil your heart’s desire,” she said.
Online Reporter