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Tendai Rupapa in MASVINGO
PROMOTING women’s sense of self-worth and leaving no one behind in the march towards attaining an upper middle income status by 2030 have been the hallmarks of First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa’s battle to ensure women are economically empowered countrywide.

True to this, the mother of the nation, through her Angel of Hope Foundation and its working partners, has taken 250 women in Masvingo Province through detergent-making training and given them starter-packs to carry forward with the project as part of a multi-pronged empowerment programme to promote the use of one’s hands to earn a living.

“Madzimai, I am troubled all the time and I lose sleep thinking of what I can do best for you and ask for God’s strength,” said the First Lady.

“How best can I make women succeed because nyika inovakwa nevene vayo (a country is built by its own people) and as women we want to put our own brick on that wall. Let’s all as women strive to put our own brick on that structure for the betterment of our country.”

The move by the First Lady is expected to reduce domestic violence in cases where couples fought over the allocation of scarce resources.

Also involved in the project are former ladies of the night, inmates from Mutimurefu prison, chiefs’ wives, widows, the disabled, single mothers and the elderly among other groups of women drawn from all the districts in Masvingo Province.

Amai Mnangagwa joined the groups during training and encouraged them to work hard and take the teachings they were receiving seriously.

This is the first time since Independence in 1980, the women remarked, that a sitting First Lady spends some days staying with people in rural and remote areas ensuring everyone was equipped with life-transforming skills.

They added that it was also a first of its kind seeing a First Lady undertaking visits to provinces leading from the front, teaching people about the Covid-19 pandemic, teaching youths good morals through the Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba programme and feeding children in schools so they do not drop out of school owing to hunger.

Besides her school feeding programme, the First Lady has been personally sewing school uniforms for disadvantaged children around the country, and reusable sanitary pads which she distributes to disadvantaged girls.

Her Angel of Hope Foundation also partnered with the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) in offering free short courses to women.

Amai Mnangagwa is on record urging women, especially chiefs’ wives, to lead in embracing the cultivation of traditional grains to enhance food security, while also imploring people to embrace traditional dishes which are healthy and medicinal.

“Go and use what you have learnt here back home,” she said. “I have brought you starter packs so that after being trained each and every one of you will be given a starter pack which she shall take home and hit the ground running.

“If you have areas which you do not understand, refer to your notes and do not make mistakes because the ingredients have required quantities that must not be exceeded or lowered. We will be buying from you and it will make shop-owners lower prices.

“This is why we are running around to ensure people of all age groups participate. Whether one is 70 years-old or living with a disability does not matter. All that is needed are your brains and hands. If those living with disability cannot use their hands, they can tell their relatives what to do and these projects bring income to your home.”

The First Lady warned beneficiaries against cutting corners when making the detergents or entertaining the idea of getting rich quickly.

“A businesswoman did not start with a wholesale, you start small going forward,” she said.

She reassured the women that they all had what it takes to succeed provided they worked hard.

“Self-confidence comes from doing work and you will know that if you stand before five women you will manage because you will have something to tell them. You are a leader, a first lady in your own right. All of us women in this country are first ladies,” she said to applause.

“You are a first lady in your house, in your community because you are directing how things work and are done as a mother.”

The First Lady implored the women to be prayerful.

“Keep on praying, pray for your projects, yourselves and your families. In life we say what one woman is going through today, you shall experience the same in future. All women are the same. It’s only a matter of when the challenges strike,” Amai Mnangagwa said.

She said no one should be left behind because the opportunities were open for everyone.

She implored the women to share the knowledge they had acquired with others who had been left behind at home and not to waste their starter packs back home.

She said everyone including the elderly had to be incorporated in projects for the benefit of communities.

In her remarks on the final day of training, the First Lady said she was glad to witness the completion of the training and receiving of certificates of completion by beneficiaries.

“I contacted partners of the Angel of Hope Foundation so that we could put our heads together and uplift the women of our country. We then came up with this project for your benefit,” she said.

The mother of the nation urged the women to use the Women’s Bank, saying it was assisting with financial management and literacy awareness, which would result in women effectively running their new-found project venture.

“One of the core principles of Angel of Hope Foundation is the empowerment of women in order to alleviate their living standards as is reflected by this project,” she said.

“In our culture, it is known that women are the foundation of the home hence it is essential for wives to offer spousal support in their households. When a woman contributes economically to the upkeep of the family set-up, she becomes a respectable helper who does not let the husband carry the financial burden alone.”

The First Lady implored widows and single mothers to stand up and work hard to sustain their families.

“Women we have the capacity to be contributors to economic development,” she said. “We should not be limited to making decisions in the kitchen only, but can contribute in whatever way we can according to our ability even up to boardroom level.”

If a mother contributes economically through domestic projects to the family, the First Lady said, unproductive behaviour was lessened, prompting peace and harmony in the household.

Most cases of strife, she said, had their origins in financial strains.

“I encourage women to use their hands and have a strong work ethic,” said the First Lady. “Women, if you use your hands, domestic violence is lessened.”

She told the women that there was a domestic violence toll-free line in her office 575 which can be used in efforts to promote peace in the household and catapult development.

Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira paid tribute to the First Lady for her unwavering love and for constantly including the people of Masvingo in her programmes.

“I am so thankful to the First Lady for what she does for the people of Masvingo,” he said. “We know we have a caring mother who remembers us all the time and I urge all those who have taken part in the training programme to put the new skills to good use.”

Mrs Sarudzai Zvauya, the wife to Chief Chitanga of Mwenezi, was on cloud nine after participating in the programme which she intends to take back to her community.

“I thank you heartily our mother for rolling out this programme which is dignified,” she said. “As wives of chiefs we are grateful for the assistance you render to us. Everywhere we would be, we will be remembering you for your good deeds.

“When we return to our homes we shall gather people and show them what we brought and work together with them to look after our families.”

Ms Rudo Chauke, a former lady of the night, praised the First Lady for her vision and love.

“As former ladies of the night, we promised Amai that we would quit the oldest profession and we are sticking to that,” she said. “We are so grateful for the project that has been rolled out for us by the First Lady. We were living in an appalling manner, but now Amai has brought her partners to train us to use our hands.

“We were trained to make dishwashers, petroleum jelly, toilet cleaner among other detergents. We have rested from the way we were living on the streets and we have rested from peddling our flesh. This was difficult, but we had no other way through which we could sustain ourselves.

“The First Lady said prostitution must end and every woman must be economically empowered. She has also given us starter packs. We no longer have time to venture into the streets and we are going to start making detergents. The ministry of Women’s Affairs will help us market the goods and we shall teach others and our children will never go hungry. May God grant Amai many more years.”

A widow, Mrs Gamuchirai Mapfumo (69) from Gutu North said the First Lady had given her reason to smile.

“I am a widow whose husband passed on in 1997 and I was left taking care of the children,” she said. “Things were tight, but Amai Mnangagwa is doing amazing things. She has a kind heart for the people of Zimbabwe. She helps widows and orphans.

“We accept this project gladly as Amai has given us development in rural areas. We shall be able to sustain our families and raise capital to continue with the project.”

Churches were not left out and Mrs Maria Maburazi (55) expressed gratitude to the First Lady for her benevolence.

“I represent churches and am grateful for the mother we were given by God,” she said. “She is dignified, respectable and today she has come to see her children. We felt happy by her coming here to teach us how to make dishwashers. We also received starter packs through her benevolence and when we go back home we shall set a good example to others.”

Prisoners too were not excluded from the training, showing how all-encompassing the training programme is.

Tendai Ncube, an inmate from Mutimurefu Prison, said she was glad for the love she had received from the First Lady.

“I wish to thank Amai for allowing us as inmates to be here and also receive training. I was jailed for stealing, but after completing my sentence, I will no longer steal from other people since I will be economically empowered. We will no longer frequent bars for prostitution. I shall teach others back in prison how to make detergents. Amai is not selective and when I finish my term I would have been empowered,” she said with a smile.

The beneficiaries were also given food hampers and toiletries by the First Lady.