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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

WARRIORS midfielder, Marvelous Nakamba, has set himself a target to assist, at least, one million kids in Zimbabwe to have access to education.

This will be done through his Marvelous Nakamba Foundation. 

The Zimbabwe international is proving not only to be a good ambassador, abroad, where he has made a statement on perseverance, at English Premiership side, Aston Villa.

Besides being an integral part of the Warriors, Nakamba has also made his influence felt at home, by assisting the needy, and underpriviledged kids, from the pay cheque he gets at the English Premiership side. 

“The Foundation is paying school fees and providing books for 10 000 pupils at selected schools across Zimbabwe under the AEP. 

“We are also paying for examination fees for exam classes for selected students at the selected schools. 

“We hope to expand further and our target is 100 000 by the end of the year 2021, and one million by 2025. 

“We believe we can,” said the Foundation, in a statement.

The midfielder announced, yesterday he recently paid school fees for 1 000 students, for this term, through his foundation.

“The foundation is happy to announce that it has completed the paying of school fees for 1 000 students, across the country, for Term One, 2021.

“This has been a long standing aim of the Foundation to ensure that we aid students, and offer them a chance, to their right to education.

“The opening of schools, after a long lay-off due to Covid-19, comes as a welcome development, as we continue to champion education. 

“This is a follow-up to the 2020 year, where we paid school fees, in our inaugural year as a foundation.

“A thousand students have been selected, across the country, working closely with school heads and teachers. 

“Most of the schools are drawn from schools in underprivileged communities around the country,” said the statement. 

Nakamba is being inspired by his upbringing which was tough. 

He spent part of his childhood in Hwange before his parents, Antony and Charity, moved to Bulawayo.

“We hope this gesture will go a long way in helping not only the students that benefited, but also comes as a relief to parents or guardians, who have been struggling to raise school fees,” said the Zimbabwe midfielder.

“This sits well with us, as the saying goes, ‘it takes a nation to raise a child’. 

“On the same breath, we are glad that a majority of the student beneficiaries for the 2020 school fees did extremely well, and we hope that the 2021 first-term students, will excel in their studies. 

“For now, we have gone as far as 1 000 students but we desire to go for more when funds permit.’’

The Marvelous Nakamba Foundation last year pledged to bankroll the education of Prince Edward pupil, Kudakwashe Mutikiri, up to tertiary level.

Mutikiri won the Junior Sportsperson of the Year at the inaugural Youth for Youth Mentorship programme organised by 4H, in conjunction with Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation.