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Herald Reporter
Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe Chapter (FAWEZI) working in conjunction with Aids Counselling Trust, Leonard Cheshire Disability and Action Aid, yesterday donated an assortment of goods to five schools in Chitungwiza, aimed at equipping their guidance and counselling rooms.

Guidance and counselling is a critical component of the country’s curriculum. It covers issues such as career guidance, sex and reproductive education, as well as grooming and etiquette.

It is where the teacher-learner wall is dissolved to give room for peer-to-peer cross-pollination of ideas which is easy to internalise.

It is the moral arm of junior education and happens in a relaxed environment.

The equipment, worth thousands of dollars, include latest versions of flat television sets, DVD players, mattresses, water buckets, sanitary pads and medical kits.

Schools which benefited are Chaminuka and Tafadzwa Primary School and Seke 3, Seke 5 and Seke Mhuriimwe high schools. The organisation donated three 5 000-litre water tanks to Tafadzwa and Chaminuka primary schools and Seke 3 High School.

Officiating at the event, Harare provincial education director Mr Christopher Kateera commended FAWEZ and its partners for complementing Government efforts of promoting equitable access to education through its gender responsive interventions.

“Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe Chapter (FAWEZI) is a long standing partner to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and has since inception implemented programmes aimed at promoting equitable access to education through its various gender responsive interventions and contributions to gender responsive policies,” he said.

“I believe all these will go a long way in strengthening the teaching of Guidance and Counselling, as well as solving problems that adolescent girls are faced with. They have the right to a safe, educated and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women.”

FAWEZI national coordinator Ms Lydia Madyirapanze said her organisation was focusing more on how to improve teaching and learning guidance and counselling as a structure or platform that can be used for empowering learners on issues that affect their growing up.

“As an organisation working closely with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education our entry point is on how to improve guidance and counselling education, so we are empowering teachers with up to date knowledge around sexual reproduction health, growing up, HIV, sexually transmitted infections, child pregnancies and other issues,” she said.

Recently, the organisation donated similar items to schools in Shamva district.