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The Herald, 22 March, 1980

The Governor’s wife, Lady Soames yesterday visited the Kambuzuma welfare offices in Salisbury where the Adult Literacy Organisation holds regular classes.

Mrs Josephine Meza proudly showed Lady Soames the book she is learning to read.

Her baby daughter Rosa was not impressed and promptly burst into tears as the photograph was taken.

Accompanied by her daughter-in-law, Mrs Jeremy Soames, who arrived from Britain on Thursday, Lady Soames then went to Seke where she toured the International Red Cross refugee camp.

Mrs Alice Sanderson who started the Adult Literacy Organisation in Rhodesia during 1963, and the development director, Mrs Pat Dean showed the visitors more literacy classes in progress, a dressmaking cooperative and a cement and sisal roof-making exercise.

LESSONS FOR TODAY
Through Mrs Josephine Meza, we can see how women fought their way to basic education by improving their literacy levels.

Women of today, both young and old, should rise above age and all forms of stereotypes to utilise the country’s education policy instituted in 1980, which made education a basic human right, making it free and compulsory.

A contentious but important issue of re-orienting pregnant girls into school was raised in Parliament in March 2019, with the aim of allowing the girl child access to education even after falling pregnant during school.

Education is one of the most important means of empowering women with knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the development process.

Through education, women have better access and opportunities in the workforce, leading to increased income and less isolation at home or exclusion from financial decisions.

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