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Mr James Bayanai, the founder of Zimbabwe Youth Development Foundation Trust, which seeks to promote literacy in Zimbabwean rural communities through provision of basic educational material, has been shortlisted for the Junior Chamber International 10 outstanding young persons award under the world programme (JCI TOYP).
The 30-year-old Bayanai, a lawyer by profession, has been nominated in the humanitarian leadership category.
He will be among the world’s top 20 drawn from other disciplines that are vying for honours come November 8, 2013 when 10 young active citizens will be honoured in 10 different categories during the JCI World Congress to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The 10 categories include business, economic or entrepreneurship, political, legal and governmental affairs, academic leadership, humanitarian or voluntary leadership, cultural achievement, contribution to children, world peace and human rights among others.
The award recognises young people who excel in their chosen field while creating positive change.
Mr Bayanai says his vision to do humanitarian work came while he was working in neighbouring South Africa three years ago.
“In May of 2010 while working in Cape Town for an Internet Service Provider, I received a challenge of my life after reading in the Cape Argus about young South
Africans who were making a difference in upholding the lives of the less privileged in their communities.
“It is then that I made a decision to be part of the young global change makers,” he said.
Mr Bayanai initiated a project to promote literacy in Zimbabwean rural communities through provision of basic educational materials and establishment of community libraries in communities where the student book ratio was one book per 36 students while most of the schools did not have computers.
He named the Project “Zuva Rabuda/Sunrise” and this is the time he also founded his organisation, Zimbabwe Youth Development Foundation Trust.
Mr Bayanai’s international breakthrough came in August the same year when he attended the 5th World Youth Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, where he represented Zimbabwe through his organisation and was attended by about 1 300 young people from 146 countries.
At the congress, various development initiatives were placed at the centre of attention not only of their peers, but also of various international organisations, development professionals, UN agencies and decision-makers.
“The 5th World Youth Congress gave me a platform to showcase project ‘Zuva Rabuda/Sunrise’ and many people and various international organisations showed their interest to work in Zimbabwe and I also challenged the international NGO community to invest in Zimbabwe’s education sector,” he added.
To date, Mr Bayanai has managed to distribute more than 60 000 reading books to various schools and said his organisation is in the process of setting up community libraries in Chirumanzu before spreading the initiative to other parts of the country.
Mr Bayanai has also been involved in international youth advocacy, humanitarian initiatives as well as preaching the gospel of Zimbabwe to other countries and has raised the Zimbabwean flag in various countries which include Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, USA and South Africa.
JCI is a United States-headquartered membership-based worldwide organisation of young citizens aged between 18 and 40 years whose mission is to provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change.
“We create positive change by developing leadership skills, creating a sense of social responsibility, promoting entrepreneurship and fellowship for human understanding among and within people without regard to ethnic and racial identity, religious or political affiliation,” said JCI City local president Mr Xolani Ndlovu.
Some of the JCI past world honourees from Zimbabwe include Ms Tendai Wenyika (2012) and Mrs Betty Makoni (2007), both in the humanitarian and/or voluntary leadership category, Mr Sabelo Sibanda for cultural achievement and Mr Strive Masiyiwa of Econet in 1999 in the business, economic and/or entrepreneurial accomplishments.
Online Reporter