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Part of the young crowd that assembled at Budiriro 3 Primary School for the launch of th Catch Them Young programme

Rumbidzai Mafake Cool Lifestyle Writer
Harare City Council this week officially launched the Catch Them Young programme at Budiriro 3 Primary School.

This follows the launch of the Catch Them Young book titled “Mr Green Ambassador” written by Derrick Mpofu.

Some of the schools present at the function included Budiriro 2 and 5 primary schools supported by the Environmental Management Agency and Environment Africa.

The council’s corporate communications department has been moving around primary schools in Harare to spread knowledge to young people on why it is crucial to conserve the environment.

Speaking at the launch, Clr Chris Mbanga said they realised that it was necessary to teach young children since they were the future generation.

“If we teach them while they are still young we are assured of a better future,” he said.

The programme is being viewed as a future core of service delivery in Harare with the aim of restoring Harare back to its Sunshine City status by the year 2025.

The death of Harare as a sunshine city is because there have not been conscious attempts to inculcate the spirit of cleanliness and responsib- ility.

It has been observed that educating children about environment management at this tender age helps to infuse values of cleanliness and responsibility which they will grow up with as values that make us a people.

Children were being urged to be responsible, to take care of the land surrounding them and knowing the proper place to throw their litter and to always save water.

Henry Chipuriro, a Grade 7 pupil from Budiriro 3 Primary School, said he was happy for such an opportunity to learn about the environmental management issues and he is going to be among the ambassadors spreading the gospel of keeping the environment clean.

Apart from that they were also taught that dumping of litter has serious repercussions such as malaria, cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea

Preservation of wetlands was also presented as one of the most important issues concerning children need to guard their future with jealousy otherwise they will have no future.

Thomas Tembo, an A-Level student from Morgan High School, recited a poem titled “Ngarigare Rakachena Guta reHarare”, for which he earned thunderous applause