Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
THE National Social Security Authority (NSSA) yesterday donated President Mnangagwa’s biography to 30 schools in Matabeleland North as part of efforts to fight drug abuse among the youth by providing them inspirational reading material.
NSSA General Manager Mr Arthur Manase said drug abuse cases were of concern countrywide and were robbing the country of its youth.
Speaking during the handover of the consignment of President Mnangagwa biography: A Life of Sacrifice, yesterday at the NSSA offices in Bulawayo, Mr Manase said there is a need for collective effort in fighting drug abuse and the President’s biography can inspire young people to do better for the country.
NSSA has already made similar donations in other provinces and today another consignment of books will be handed to schools in Matabeleland South.
The social protection provider wants President Mnangagwa’s biography to be accessible to citizens across the country.
The book provides intricate details of the liberation struggle through the lenses and experiences of President Mnangagwa.
Mr Manase said it was his hope that after reading the book, the learners can have an appreciation of the sacrifices that President Mnangagwa has made for Zimbabwe.
He said book donation and distribution comes at a time when Zimbabwe is struggling with substance abuse among young people.
“There is a need for collective effort to fight the vices that are ravaging the youths and among those is the resort to usage of hard drugs.
We need to draw the attention of our youth to issues related to building one’s personality, building one’s country and building one’s future. We need to drive children from vices such as hard drugs.
Hard drugs are sending our youth to early graves and we need to fight that. And how do we fight that?
As a responsible corporate citizen, we do that by inculcating in the youth the culture of reading, those virtues are in this book,” he said.
He said reading books is a good pastime and keeps young people from indulging in unproductive acts detrimental to their well-being.
Mr Manase said through providing the President’s book to schools, Nssa was complementing Government’s efforts on contributing to an informed society through education.
“An educated population is a giant step towards providing social protection to a country’s inhabitants and the starting point is nurturing a reading culture among our young generation.
NSSA is therefore coming on board to assist in providing adequate information about our history as a people through collaborating in the distribution of the copies of His Excellency’s biography,” said Mr Manase.
He said the book gives citizens an opportunity to appreciate the country’s history and insights into the future.
“The struggle for political independence is appropriately captured in the memoir and this feeds into the rich history that Zimbabwe has as a nation.
The story is neatly woven to highlight the current struggle for economic empowerment for all Zimbabweans and the hope that this too is a non-insurmountable task.
The demographics of this country show that we are a youthful nation thus rendering it very critical to be armed with deep knowledge of what entails a life of sacrifice,” he said.
Matabeleland North Deputy Provincial Education Director Mrs Virginia Sibanda expressed gratitude to NSSA for the donation.
She said the book will not just benefit the learners but the society at large.
“These children come from different communities with different beliefs. I think if the parents, brothers and sisters read the book, they can then discuss with the little ones on what is in the book and how best they can use the book to be reminded of the future, the past and the present.
As a Ministry we are very much happy and proud that the nation is looking at our children,” she said.
“The book will increase their knowledge of what Zimbabwe is, where we are coming from and where we are going.
The book will also motivate the learners as they read it especially when looking at their elders and they will know how this man contributed to our country.”
NSSA board members and school authorities witnessed the book donation handover ceremony.
— @nqotshili
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