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John Manzongo in Dubai,  United Arab Emirates
First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa has urged First Ladies to do philanthropic work and leave a legacy. She said this while addressing her counterparts yesterday at a summit in Dubai.

“Ladies, I want to encourage you to leave a good legacy through your works and make sure that the programmes that you initiate in your countries are long lasting and will be carried over by your successors,” she said.

First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa share a lighter moment with her counterparts from (right) Namibian HE Monica Geingos, Liberia HE Clar Marie Weah and Malawi HE Gertrude Mutharika during their summit in Dubai yesterday. (Picture by John Manzongo)

“I want to thank Merck Foundation for inviting me to this platform which is the most suitable for First Ladies to share experiences and ideas on the various philanthropic works that we are doing in our different countries.

“Our countries are different, but the problems we have as a continent are almost the same and we should work together for the betterment of our people.”

She is working with the Ministry of Health and Child Care in maternal health and spearheading the cancer awareness and screening, among other things.

“I am now working with traditional chiefs’ wives to help in eradicating child marriages which are destroying the future of young girls,” she said.

“I am also involved with a group of infertile couples whom I am assisting in fighting stigma and help them to get help.”

The First Lady said on her return, she will work towards launching the “Merck more than a mother in Zimbabwe” before October this year. This is the ambassadorial role bestowed on her by Merck Foundation last week.

First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa talking to her Namibian counterpart Monica Geingos in the background are First ladies from Liberian HE Clar Marie Weah, Malawi HE Gertrude Mutharika and Gambia HE Fatoumatta Bah Barrow during their summit in Dubai yesterday. (Picture by John Manzongo)

Sierra Leone First Lady Fatima Maada Bio said African First Ladies must join hands in fighting diseases, challenges faced by women and girls, and also champion the empowerment of marginalised communities.

She said the continent’s challenges are similar.

“This initiative by Merck Foundation came at the right time as many of our people will now be treated locally as compared to going in Europe or America for treatment,” she said.

Malawi First Lady Gertrude Mutharika said the issue of infertility was a problem in her country and the problem was now a gender issue as it is blamed on women.