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Tendai Rupapa-Senior Reporter 

REPRESENTATIVES of women from various denominations in Mashonaland Central Province on Tuesday came together in song and dance at a detergent-making training workshop and traditional meal cookout competition courtesy of First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s empowerment drive.

This came as Dr Mnangagwa also held a male engagement session with parishioners in the province to encourage them to present for treatment on time and sow the seeds of peace, love and harmony in families.

It was a marvel seeing the women resplendent in their different church attire as they sang songs of adoration and working together in harmony.

The women, who cut across all age groups took part in a train the trainers programme where they were all given starter-packs to teach their colleagues back home, thanks to Amai Mnangagwa.

Food prepared for cook-out competition among other dishes included guinea fowl, rabbit in peanut butter, sorghum sadza, mutakura, fish, brown rice, pumpkin leaves, roasted nuts, okra, white rice and madora. 

Runi, cowpeas, nhopi, mawuyu (baobab fruit) yoghurt, chinga made of honey which helps cure asthma and flu, maheu emukoyo, kapenta and black jack.

In her address, Dr Mnangagwa said it was her wish to empower womenfolk and ensure they all earned a dignified life.

“I have come with a project that should be done by a woman. Look at the weight of responsibilities ahead of us as women.

“We have children – boys and girls who are ruined by drugs. We are running from these children we gave birth to because they are walking about wielding axes while under the influence of drugs. 

“The children are falling pregnant and dropping out from school while at a tender age. All this is waiting on the women. Our husbands sometimes go out and do things that do not generate enough money for the home and violence starts. 

“This then made me invite women from churches to come out in their numbers because we worship one God and do projects in harmony. Even though we come from different churches, we worship one God. 

“God knows there is a country called Zimbabwe and he loves us all. As churches, let us all come together and counsel our children who are misbehaving. This then builds the foundation for our children. This is just the beginning and I am glad you all came from different denominations which has brought about unity among us and knowing one another. 

“Challenges affecting women are the same and what only differs is the time. I respect you for uniting as churches. It was not like this in years gone by. We should involve our children in these projects, that way, the child will not go after drugs because these projects need focus and concentration,” she said.

First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa looks at some of the traditional dishes prepared during Amai’s cook out traditional food cooking competition in Shamva.

Dr Mnangagwa also spelt the need for the women to be always presentable and have good customer care at all times to ensure their products get buyers. 

She also had words of advice for those who took part in the cookout competition.

“I am happy to see women of various denominations preparing healthy dishes. Let us dry our vegetables for future use and chase hunger from the homes. Even hotels are now preparing traditional dishes.

“In aeroplanes you get traditional dishes, tourists rush for our food which is organic. Let us not be embarrassed to eat our sadza and okra. Some diseases are caused by what we eat but our organic food is healthy and nutritious but prepare it at clean places and eat it hot,” she said.

Beneficiaries of both programmes could not hide their joy and promised to hit the ground running.

Mrs Revai Temba said she hoped to one day operate commercially as a result of the training provided by the First Lady’s Angel of Hope Foundation.

“I want to thank you for coming here to Mashonaland Central Province I worship in Zion Christian Church. We were taught to make liquid laundry soap, liquid bleach and petroleum jelly. 

“As churches we are now united and are working together because of the programme you brought. We now know one another. We will also have peace in the homes with our spouses because we now have something to do and will also contribute to the household income. We will also train others. 

“We shall sell the products and we have faith we will get orders from big shops,” she said.

Similar words were echoed by Mrs Rudo Maparura.

“We thank you heartily as members of various churches in the province. I am from Zvisungo Apostolic church. This liquid laundry soap is easy to use and has good froth and works in various types of water. As women we no longer wait for handouts because we are workers in our own right. We will train others to spread the knowledge we gained.

Mrs Mirriam Nyakasoka, a widow from Johane Masowe chishanu, said she had been given the head-start she desperately wanted.

“It is my pleasure to learn through the First Lady’s programme as we now can look after our families. Life for me was difficult and I was having high blood pressure due to stress but now my challenges have been solved by Amai,” she said.

Pastor Chipo Chiwozha from Enlightened Christian Gathering church also thanked the First Lady and promised to hit the ground running.

Mrs Tendai Chakwana said traditional food was nutritious and helped fight diseases.

Some of the traditional dishes prepared during Amai’s cook out traditional food cooking competition in Shamva.

“In the olden times people lived longer because of the healthy food they consumed. These foods fight hypertension, diabetes and other ailments that one can think of,” she said.

Mrs Emily Mujati sang praises to the First Lady for remembering them and uniting women through projects.

During male engagement session, the First Lady said Christians must lead by example and shun gender-based violence and child marriages which gives the country a bad name.

 “Yes we belong to the church, but violence is there in our homes. Child marriages are rife in Mashonaland Central province. But who between the mother and father is behind this? Are you seeing this trend and are you marrying off children at tender ages? 

“We believe churches always bring out the best. Let us pray so that God leads us. I urge you all to keep praying. Let us be role models and counsel those who are getting lost. What must we do about those children who are taking drugs? What are the children saying. I heard there are some women who are brewing and selling the drugs. Do we have such characters in the church?” she said.

In response, Mrs Chenai Makarau spelt out the need to assist the police in bringing culprits to book.

“The police cannot do it alone, they need our help because we live with these peddlers but keep quiet as children are ruined. I have faith in your programme and things will change. We thank you Amai,” she said.

The First Lady spoke about her national gender based violence toll free line 575, encouraging people to make use of it to ensure peace prevails at all times.

Chief Nyamaropa, Mr Munyaradzi Tivaringe, said it was essential for community members to take it upon themselves to ensure peace prevailed at all times.

“True, a nation is built by its citizens so let us all be police officers in the communities in which we live. As chiefs we have to sit down with our headmen speaking out against drugs which are affecting the whole nation because children may go to ruin under our watch,” she said.

The First Lady weighed in urging churches to form groups that teach people in the communities as it was everyone’s responsibility to maintain peace.

A church elder said churches, in his view, were not playing a good role in fighting drug abuse.

“In my view, as churches we are not doing our job because we turn a blind eye on those doing drugs saying they were of this world and not worshippers. As Christians let us play our part and mould people who are getting lost,” he said.

Mrs Maria Jinika blamed everything squarely on women.

“True children are hard to control but as mothers we have a challenge. If a neighbour counsels my child I feel wronged yet the child belongs to the community,” she said.

Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Monica Mavhunga praised the First Lady for her intervention.

“We are grateful for your visit to come and discuss with men, women and our children with the aim of building families. I urge everyone to embrace the lessons taught and teach others who could not make it here. Mashonaland Central Province will never be the same again,” she said.

In her sermon, Chaplain Christine Phiri from the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service said as men and women were being equipped with life skills, divorce cases must decline.

“God hates divorce. For those who are already in marriages, our mother came up with the Nharirire Yemusha Programme where she brings together couples for discussions ironing out challenges affecting families. 

“Indeed there is violence in the homes with women singing Uchandifungawo ndave kure kure (the late James Chimombe’s song) and men on the other hand singing Munoti zvamaroorwa imi hamuchageza (off the Four Brothers hit song Rudo Imoto). Amai is teaching men and women to live harmoniously in the homes,” she said.

The women who completed the detergents training received certificates and starter packs while all those who participated in the cookout received food hampers and winners were awarded prizes from the First Lady.

Traditional Chiefs and all those who gathered also received food hampers from the mother of the nation.