Fungayi Sox
Youth Interactive Writer
Disability and women’s rights champion Florence Mudzingwa has dared students to explore the power of their mind and dream big for them to succeed and ensure their continued mental well-being.
She was speaking at a mental wellness workshop held at Queen Elizabeth which was organised by her organisation Hope Resurrect Trust in partnership with TisuMazwi that was supported by the Australian Embassy in Zimbabwe.
Mudzingwa is a fearless, strong and bold woman born with a disability.
She typifies and epitomises the old English adage that “disability does not mean inability”.
She holds a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Counselling in addition to qualifications in marketing and administration.
Affectionately known as Coach Flow, Mudzingwa is a certified coach specialising in personal development and emotional intelligence.
The Mental Wellness Talk was held under the theme “Inspired, Informed and Involved” and was the second follow up interactive session aimed at raising mental awareness in schools.
According to an article published on 4 May 2021 in The Conversation “the global Covid-19 health crisis has affected the mental health of students in learning institutions, with a reported rise in anxiety and depression”.
There has been a recent spike in suicide cases among students as a result of the growing cases of mental health related issues at institutions of learning across the country.
In 2020, a Magwegwe Secondary School pupil committed suicide by drinking an insecticide after discovering that she was pregnant.
During the workshop, Mudzingwa who is also an author, used her book “Love Life the Art of Living Your Dreams”— a captivating semi-autobiographical and inspirative narrative to motivate and inspire pupils to dare their limitations and translate dreams into reality.
One of the pupils stated that one of the things they learnt was “to be courageous and get out of their comfort zones” and escape distractions that hindered them from attaining their goals. They also learnt about fear of failure and the fear of missing out, especially on social media.
Another pupil, Kundai Marunya, says she learnt that persistence, consistence and insistence were keys to helping her to get out of her comfort zone and transform her dreams into reality. Guest of honour, deputy Australian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Susan Cash, who was represented by the embassy’s second secretary, Kelsall Alyce, encouraged students “to set their goals and seek help from trustworthy family and friends if they found themselves facing any challenges that may affect their mental wellbeing”.
Hope Resurrect Trust and TisuMazwi have ongoing series of mental wellness outreach workshops with schools in line with Sustainable Development Goal 3 which speaks to good health and well-being.