By Dumisani Ndlovu
Gweru- Zimbabwe First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday officiated certification of 1057 people, she helped to take up life-changing opportunities, including enrolling for free short courses, through open learning at Zimbabwe Open University.
Speaking at the event held at Mkoba Teachers’ College, where 141 young offenders, 11 prison officials and hundreds of commercial sex workers graduating Dr. Mnangagwa described the graduation as an integral component of successful rehabilitation and reintegration back into the community.
“Today the 25th of December 2022 I feel highly privileged and honoured to officiate the certification of 898 Angel of Hope beneficiaries who among them are 11 Hwahwa officers and 148 incarcerated young offenders. Hwahwa prison beneficiaries outside other trained beneficiaries were trained in two short courses and are going to be given two certificates each,” she said to a round of applause.
Although this was the inaugural certification in the Midlands Province, the First Lady said it was the fourth certification nationwide.
“Today the certification of 1057 certificates would bring the certificated figure to a total of 3814 trained disadvantaged members of community. At this day, the knowledge driven economy through configured empowering robust life changing short courses, sustained growth of our nation would be realised sooner than anticipated,” said Dr Mnangagwa, adding that the certification is instrumental in empowering and improving the socio-economic mobility of all who are to be certificated today.
Midlands Province became the eight province to benefit from the nationwide programme that has been embraced by many.
The programme was launched in Harare last year and has been rolled out to other provinces such as Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East.
Thousands are benefiting the Angel of Hope/ZOU partnership, including former ladies of the night, people with disabilities, the elderly, teenage mothers, young adults and fathers, socially-excluded ethnic groups, child-headed families, orphans, drug abusers, prisoners and school dropouts.
It was a hive of activity yesterday as people sang, danced and ululated thanking Mrs Mnangagwa who offered them a chance to acquire university certification freely.
A Young lady Rutendo Madanhire, said the First Lady’s programme of empowering women was enlightening.
“I glad to be embracing her ideas of going back and start our own projects. I want to thank Amai Mnangagwa for empowering us through various programmes which encourage us to learn and work with our hands,” she said.
A former lady of the night said her former profession was hard, and thanked Amai Mnangagwa for advising them to abandon the job and start self-help projects.
“We were doing immoral things in the streets, but through Amai’s programmes, I have ditched prostitution and now focusing on learning and doing viable projects,” she said, however further requesting that she would offer soft loans or grants for capitalisation purposes.
The first lady also said it was a privilege and honour to launch the community empowerment drive through open learning, to benefit marginalised communities.
“If we fail to take opportunities that build ourselves as individuals within our families and communities, it is no other person’s responsibility to come and do it for us,” she said.
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