Online Reporter
Tanaka Nkala
SINGLE mothers who once believed their futures were bleak are now transforming their lives and lifting their families out of poverty, thanks to vocational skills training centres across the country that serve as vital support hubs for vulnerable women.
Their stories are far from isolated; teenage mothers and young women who have dropped out of school continue to face the harsh challenges of unemployment and poverty.
Dozens of young women, many of them single mothers, are reclaiming their futures through these vocational training centres, which have become beacons of second chances nationwide.
One such example is Ms Nomqhele Siziba, a 26-year-old from Bulawayo. Having faced hardship early in life, she remains determined to secure a better future. Ms Siziba became pregnant while in Form 4, and when the child’s father, a married man, denied responsibility, her schooling came to an abrupt halt as survival became her priority. Her six-year-old daughter now lives with her grandmother in rural Lupane.
Despite these difficulties, hope found its way back to Ms Siziba.
“I joined the institution in 2022 after my aunt sent me information she found on WhatsApp,” she said. “I applied through an organisation called Bread for the World, which caters to vulnerable individuals. They then funded my education in partnership with Bulawayo Project Centre.”
After a background verification process, she was accepted and chose to study Hotel and Catering. Ms Siziba completed eight months of training before undertaking a three-month attachment at a local hotel, an opportunity that opened doors she never imagined.
“After I finished, I was privileged to find employment as a private chef and my dream now is to open my own catering company and employ youths like me and give my daughter a better future,” she said.
For 19-year-old Ms Anisia Muzeza, the journey was equally challenging. She became pregnant at 18, and like Ms Siziba, the father denied responsibility. “I got stressed and depressed at that moment and had given up on life,” she recalls. Hope arrived through Life Choices, an organisation that offered counselling and referred her to Bulawayo Project Centre. With a newborn in her arms, Anisia enrolled in Hotel and Catering, juggling coursework with childcare, a daunting task she managed with the encouragement of family and counsellors.
“It was hard studying while my child needed my attention, but the encouragement from family and counsellors helped me push through,” she said. After completing her attachment, the hotel where she was attached promised her employment.
“For that, I am forever grateful and advise other people in the same situation not to give up,” she added.
These two young mothers represent a growing number of women whose lives have been transformed by vocational training. According to Mr Charles Gohora, Director of Bulawayo Project Centre, empowering single mothers is central to the organisation’s mission.
“Our mission has always been to empower communities through practical vocational skills and this includes creating real opportunities for single mothers,” he said.
“We have converted a beer garden in Cowdray Park where women, particularly single mothers, can train, access machinery and begin producing goods as they build their own livelihoods.”
Women enrolled in vocational training across Zimbabwe are challenging gender stereotypes and making significant contributions toward the country’s Vision 2030 goals. Hundreds of students graduate from these centres annually, including many young women and teenage girls. At Bulawayo Project Centre, over 30 graduates are incubated each year, receiving workspace, machinery, and mentorship to start income-generating projects.
“For single mothers, this incubation model is especially important because it gives them the tools, space and confidence to work for themselves immediately after training,” said Mr Gohora.
“We have seen how equipping women, many of them single mothers, with vocational skills enables them to support their families with dignity and even create employment for others.”
