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Tendai Rupapa  Senior Reporter

HUNDREDS of women and youths in Mahusekwa, Mashonaland East Province, yesterday sang and danced with joy when First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa gave them 600 broiler chicks, stress packs and bags of feed as part of her empowerment initiatives which are leaving no place and no one behind.

Mashonaland East Province was her first port of call with the poultry project which is targeting women and youths and shall be taken to all provinces. Early this week, she launched a separate poultry project for widows in Highfield, Harare.

The First Lady, who has a passion for the empowerment of mainly women and youths and various vulnerable groups, recently held a fundraising dinner for her Angel of Hope Foundation to mobilise resources for her empowerment programmes which are beneficial to the nation.

Thus, the national poultry project is a result of the fundraising dinner where support for the foundation was pledged in cash and kind by well wishers. 

The roll out of the project is a demonstration that whatever the foundation gets from well-wishers, Amai Mnangagwa personally channels to deserving beneficiaries.

Yesterday, Angel of Hope Foundation launched the project alongside a panel of experts who gave the beneficiaries in-depth knowledge on how to manage the project.

The First Lady said she was on a mission to sow the seeds of development among communities countrywide.

“It is my joy to come here to Mashonaland East saying it’s a big day full of joy as we focus on development. I wish all women, boys, girls and all of us, are not left behind in terms of development and with regards to Vision 2030. 

“Vision 2030, will not come to your doorstep but will have to be worked for. Using one’s hands is critical for development. If you look at it, women and girls are looked down upon and we are talked about in a painful manner that pulls us backwards.

“On the other had, this gives us courage. Today I have brought this project so that we work as women to fight this challenge of being looked down upon. This teaches honesty, hard work, cooperation, listening to advice and this brings peace in homes, communities and the nation. I am going across the country encouraging people to use their hands. I have brought broiler chicks that I will hand over to our women and youths with a view to see families succeed,” she said.

The First Lady said she recently held a fundraising dinner where companies like Gain Cash and Carry came on board among other well wishers to assist.

“I recently held a fundraising dinner where partners came on board to help us achieve our mission. That was where Gain Cash and Carry said, Mama we shall assist you as we learn from you how to do work.

“I want to thank them because they promised to walk with me across the whole country with this poultry project. These are some of the things that were realised from the fundraising dinner. Today I have come to bind relationships, ndauya kuzoumba hukama across the wards in Marondera West and if there are those who do not relate well, it’s over today. Let us leave gossip and work hard to spread knowledge and development,” she said.

She also had words for the youths who have hogged the limelight for all the bad reasons because of drug abuse.

“Cases of drug abuse and being intoxicated are on the increase and I thought if I give you this project, you will quit bad habits. Children are stealing from their parents to get money to buy drugs. 

“My children, you have come of age and therefore let us work. Let’s do this poultry project, cultivate gardens and other projects to carry our lives forward. We thank the President Dr Mnangagwa who is rolling out more programmes and projects that benefit the people. 

“As a mother, I cannot just sit. I run around with other projects supporting the President. The President’s aim and vision is to end donor dependency, he wants us to work for ourselves and we can do it.

“I want this project to be a stepping stone that will spawn other projects and not to take all of them (chickens) for relish. I urge you to form a committee which will oversee the project because soon you will be awash with cash and this requires financial discipline,” she said emphatically.

The First Lady highlighted to the gathering the benefits of living and working together.

“Women, projects bring about unity. We do not want those who look down upon others when doing projects. As womenfolk, we have refused to be looked down upon because given a chance we can do it. If others managed to excel, how will you fail? To children I say this is not the time to ape Western lifestyles because as Zimbabweans, we have our norms and values that we follow without diluting our culture. 

“As a mother, it pains me to see us abandoning our culture. We want children who go to school and do not stop midway because of naughtiness and we frown upon violence in the home. If I see that you are serious with this project, it emboldens me to keep on looking for something to assist you. I want you to be hard workers and to see the success of this project and do not embarrass me, I want you to be a reference.  I am thankful to the community leadership, the chiefs, headmen and churches that are here present. Here is a job for all of us so that the project thrives. I want these projects to cover the whole country,” she said.

She held an interactive session with women and men were she posed questions and shared knowledge with them.

“I now want to talk to women nekuti mhirizhonga mudzimba yanyanya. When we talk of respecting our husbands, what will we be referring to?” she said.

In response, Mrs Eve Chikorondo said: “It means we will be under our husbands and being submissive. Men are like babies who need to be loved and treated as newborns.”

Another discussant, Mrs Audrey Zivenge, shared the same view. 

“Men want to be given their rightful position in the home because they are the heads of households and as women we are their helpers and we must know our positions in the home while raising children together,” she said.

Another woman left people in stiches when she said she boarded three buses from her home area to come and be married in Chihota.

“I boarded three buses to Chihota, leaving my people to come and marry my husband. Even if he misbehaves handina kwandinoyenda (I will not go anywhere). I can’t board three buses back home. I remain under my husband,” she said.

However, Gogo Norah Gomo had a different view.

“Amai, these women are lying. Do you think if they are beaten up or left for other women they remain submissive? We cannot continue being downtrodden by the men as they squander money with their girlfriends. We want 50-50 equality in the home. I also want the husband to be under me sometimes,” she said.

The First Lady also sought men’s response to the assertion.

Mr Tafadzwa Jimu said women must be afforded a chance to work.

“The challenge is that as men we do not allow our wives to work so that they stay at home raising the children. We are not empowering our wives. Some have businesses, but they go it alone without showing their spouses the ropes forgetting that when they die, their families will have nowhere to start from,” he said.

Another discussant, Mr Admire Musendo, said it was essential to put God first in all matters of the home.

“First of all I say we must put God first in the home and this brings peace. Secondly, as men if we appreciate that women are the backbone of homes, we learn to respect our wives. We are mostly stressing them. I saw women happy today and established that they miss this at home. Some are living as if they are in captivity. Our wives are our helpers, our advisers, not slaves,” he said.

Mr Dumisani Marembo blamed women for sowing the seeds of disharmony in the home.

“One thing that affects families is that our wives will be attacking us portraying us as bad people to children and neighbours. 

“When I go outside I will be without respect. When I do wrong, why not sit me down and point out that I was not happy with this than sit at the bridge with neighbours discussing me,” he said.

Mr Chaka Madakwenda, had his own views: “Most young men are taking drugs like guka and mutoriro and when they reach home they will be drunk and deny their wives conjugal rights, prompting the wives to cheat. When this happens, violence erupts in the home. I urge youths to leave drugs.” 

Amai Mnangagwa then took time to counsel families and urged them to live in peace and harmony.

Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Aplonia Munzverengwi showered the First Lady with praises for empowering people to curb donor dependency.

“You are empowering families even in rural areas, killing the donor dependency syndrome. We wish to thank you as Mashonaland East Province. The beneficiaries were selected from all the constituencies in the Province because you do not want to leave anyone and any place behind. Amai all your programmes are important for us,” she said to thunderous applause.

Beneficiaries of the projected were lost for words and could be seen ululating and dancing.

Mrs Tabeth Muungani (65) shared her delight.

“I want to thank the First Lady for what she has done for us today to help us to be able to raise our families and grandchildren we are being left with by our deceased children and having somewhere to start. If the chickens grow we will carry forward with the project we have been given today. Our project will grow and we will invite her to see other projects we would have started while involving others,” she said.

Mrs Nyarai Gororo (55) praised the First Lady for her unconditional love.

“I am thankful to Amai for the project that she has brought us so that we can work for ourselves using our own hands and sustaining our families while sending our children to school. We thank her for empowering us and we want these projects to flourish,” she said. 

Representing the youths, Mr Fradreck Muzangaza expressed hope that the project will help curb drug abuse among youths.

“We thank Amai for the project that she has brought us here in Marondera west. As youths we now have something to do and we will not venture into drug abuse and stealing like other people of our age. I do not expect others to abuse alcohol and drugs like mutoriro and guka. We are happy with this project. You have given us a fishing rod Amai and we are fishing on our own,” he said.

This dovetailed with the views of another youth Miss Tarisai Shonhiwa who shed tears of joy.

“I stand here to thank our mother who has come here to Marondera West. We want to thank her as youths to uplift us. We were down and we thank her for empowering us. We promise to continue going forward and not going backwards and this will make us leave bad things to concentrate on the project,” she said.