Online Reporter
Trish Mukwazo, Sunday News Reporter
A 14-YEAR-OLD Form Three pupil from Mahetshe Secondary School in deep Matobo District, was last week awarded a scholarship by financial institution, NedBank.
The scholarship will see the bank paying for the pupil, Beyonce Dube’s school fees up to university level.
The bank announced the scholarship during a visit in conjunction with Elevate Trust and the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), where they were empowering the girl child to take up Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (Stem)-related careers.
NedBank’s senior operations manager Ms Barbara Mudzimurema, said they shared a commitment to building a future where every girl is allowed to learn, grow and lead.
“The passion and purpose that filled this event today should remind us just how vital this cause is not just for girls, but for entire communities and generations to come.
“As a proud partner of Elevate Trust, NedBank Zimbabwe firmly believes in the potential of every girl. Empowerment is not a one-day event, it is a continuous journey and we are honoured to walk that path alongside such a dedicated and visionary organisation,” she said.
Stemlady, Director of Elevate Trust Ms Sicelo Dube said the partnership with NedBank came after identifying that Mahetshe is a small school and to ensure that no one is left behind.
“As partners with NedBank, we identify areas of need for education and empowerment for girls.
“We visited this school before and found that they didn’t have mathematical sets, so today we are providing them and want small schools and rural schools to know they can produce greatness,” she said.
Ms Dube said with NedBank’s support, they are ensuring that more children from rural and underprivileged settings benefit from scholarships and pursue careers.
Elevate Trust is an organisation that focuses on Stem education, innovation and entrepreneurship.
It encourages students to apply theoretical knowledge to real life problems and serve their communities.
“We emphasise entrepreneurship to equip students with skills beyond traditional employment.
“We intentionally work with girls, as they are often under-represented in Stem fields and we also work with women in Stem as mentors, to inspire and guide the next generation,” said Ms Dube.
NedBank also donated mathematical sets to all the learners of the school.
The school’s headmaster, Mr Mandleni Moyo, expressed gratitude to NedBank and Elevate Trust for their efforts in trying to carve out opportunities for the learners who are from marginalised backgrounds.
“They donated mathematical sets to almost all learners, gave a scholarship to one of our girls, which came as a surprise to her since she comes from a very under-privileged family and was struggling to make ends meet. This came at the right time for her to carry out her studies,” he said.
He, however, said the girl child at his school is struggling to do their studies due to infrastructure challenges, especially in Stem subjects.
“We have no laboratories, not enough teachers in that area and only one teacher for Combined Science, while we are supposed to teach Physics, Chemistry and Biology. We don’t have well equipped labs,” he added.
The recipient of the scholarship, Beyonce said she was grateful as it got her a step closer to achieving her dreams.
“I feel excited to get this scholarship, it feels like a dream come true, and my family is going to be so happy about this news. I would like to thank NedBank from the bottom of my heart,” she said.
