Online Reporter
AT 43, Ms Chipo Bessie Nxumalo is the founding director of Vana Vedu Organisation and principal of Vana Vedu Trust Academy.
A community leader, businesswoman and passionate advocate for women and children, she has devoted her life to creating opportunities and hope for others.
For Ms Nxumalo, motherhood extends beyond her five children. Across Chitungwiza, Seke and surrounding communities, she has become a mother figure, mentor and advocate to many. Her journey was not born of privilege, but forged through adversity.
Turning pain into purpose
Born and raised in Harare, with roots in Bulawayo, Ms Nxumalo now lives in Chitungwiza, where much of her community work takes place. Her childhood exposed her to hardship and pain at an early age.
Raised in challenging family circumstances, she faced experiences that could easily have broken her spirit. Instead, they cultivated resilience, compassion and a determination to rise above adversity.
“That experience shaped me. It taught me compassion, to protect children and that every child deserves love and dignity,” she said.
These lived experiences gave birth to Vana Vedu Organisation.
Established in 2017, registered as a Trust in 2019 and as a Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) in 2022, Vana Vedu was founded to address the gap between academic education and practical life skills.
The organisation equips children and young people with skills that promote self-reliance, employability and sustainable livelihoods.
Beyond skills development, Vana Vedu provides material assistance to vulnerable communities, advocates for children’s rights and raises awareness of pressing social challenges, including drug and substance abuse and early marriages.
What began as a vision has grown into a platform for empowerment, advocacy, skills development and community development, helping young people build productive and resilient futures. Today, Vana Vedu runs a diverse range of programmes designed to respond to the realities facing women, children and young people.
At the heart of the organisation is Vana Vedu Trust Academy, which offers practical life-skills training in areas such as baking, sewing, ICT, catering and theology.
The organisation also runs women empowerment initiatives through Women in Business – Seke District, helping women develop their businesses and create sustainable income-generating opportunities. Sport is another important component of the organisation’s work.
Ms Nxumalo is a co-founder of BrigmaVana Vedu Football Club, while the organisation supports grassroots football coaching as a way of giving young people opportunities to develop discipline, teamwork and confidence.
Her work extends into agriculture as well.
Ms Nxumalo serves as chairperson of the Chitungwiza Mushroom Association, promoting agriculture and entrepreneurship as pathways towards economic empowerment.
Other initiatives include GBV (gender-based violence) awareness and relationship coaching, business mentorship, humanitarian aid support and academic support. Together, these programmes reflect her philosophy that empowerment must address the whole person — not simply one aspect of their life.
Challenges facing children
When asked about the most urgent issues affecting children in Zimbabwe today, Ms Nxumalo points to unemployment, drug and substance abuse, school dropouts and hopelessness. For her, the answer lies partly in changing how society prepares young people for adulthood.
“Children need skills, not just certificates,” she says.
She believes young people need mentors, safe spaces and opportunities to discover their purpose. The impact of Vana Vedu can be seen in the lives of the people it serves.
According to Ms Nxumalo, the organisation has directly impacted more than 1 000 learners, women, young people, school-going children and families across Chitungwiza, Seke rural and surrounding areas. Through school programmes and partnerships, its indirect reach extends to thousands more. For Ms Nxumalo, however, numbers only tell part of the story.
Every person trained represents a potential ripple effect. It is this ripple effect that makes community development meaningful to her.
Empower one person and an entire household can benefit. Empower a woman and her children and wider community can benefit. Give a young person a skill, and that skill can become a livelihood.
For Ms Nxumalo, Vana Vedu’s greatest achievement cannot be measured simply through statistics or programmes. It is measured through transformation.
She recalls the satisfaction of seeing young people who once dropped out of school go on to establish businesses, including baking enterprises. She has also witnessed women start income-generating projects and become more financially independent.
Doing what we can
with what we have
Like many grassroots organisations, Vana Vedu operates in the face of significant challenges. Funding, equipment and other resources remain some of the organisation’s biggest obstacles. Yet, Ms Nxumalo has refused to allow limited resources become an excuse for inaction.
The organisation has built partnerships with organisations including SOS Children’s Villages and Miracle Missions Trust, as well as Government departments, Chitungwiza Town Council and ministries of women affairs as well as education, among others.
Vana Vedu also develops its own income-generating initiatives, including its mushroom hub and carpentry department, to help sustain its work.
The philosophy is simple: “We believe in doing what we can with what we have.” It is a philosophy that captures her approach to leadership — practical, resilient and focused on impact.
Choosing purpose when
life became difficult
Behind every successful community initiative is often a personal story of sacrifice.
Ms Nxumalo’s marriage came under strain as she pursued her vision for the organisation, creating difficult personal and professional choices that ultimately tested the relationship.
She chose Vana Vedu.
It was not an easy decision.
There were times when the demands of running programmes came directly out of her own pocket. The financial pressure and personal sacrifices could have been enough to make anyone give up.
Ms Nxumalo kept returning to one idea: “I am a mother to many.”
The children, women and even men who looked up to her became part of the reason she continued. Ms Nxumalo’s message to women is as bold as her own journey.
“Don’t wait for someone to give you a seat. Build your own table.”
She also has a message for the women who have supported her throughout her journey. Her gratitude is deeply personal. “You didn’t just support me; you supported every child and woman that Vana Vedu has touched,” she said.
And then comes a powerful reminder of the spirit she hopes women will embrace: “Lighting another woman’s candle will never dim yours.”
