The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
WHILE the true author between Mark Twain and Dwight Eisenhower remains unknown to this very day, what is undeniable is the power of the quote: “What counts is not the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog.”
That quote is personified by taekwondo starlet Natsiraishe Maritsa.
The 18-year-old’s daily routine revolves around juggling her duties as the dutiful child, school and taekwondo.
However, it is what this pint-sized dynamo does somewhere in between her chores and training that makes her story unique.
The Epworth-based Domboramwari High School learner also happens to be the founder of Vulnerable Under-aged People’s Auditorium, a backyard dojo in which she trains taekwondo and educates young women on the dangers of drug abuse and child marriages.
SHOULDERS UP . . . Natsiraishe Maritsa (white attire) oversees her students as they go through their paces. The Taekwondo dynamo is using martial arts to help fight child marriages in her area
“The aim of the academy is to fight for an early marriage-free nation.
“When I was in primary school, I lost close friends, classmates and close relatives to early marriages and pregnancies.
“I faced a similar predicament when I went to secondary school. It was at that time that I decided to create an academy for the girl-child,” she said.
“It is a safe place of sorts and my students are mostly girls between 10 and 17, who are not yet married as they are the most vulnerable.
“I also work with survivors of child marriages, who share their stories and act as exhibits of the dangers,” she said.
To get a clearer understanding of the predicament that Maritsa faces, one only needs look at the numbers.
According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat), 33,7 percent of girls under 18 are married.
Her plight is compounded by the mere fact that she is based in the dormitory town of Epworth.
Located in the south-eastern region of Harare, it is one of the poorest areas in the province.
Child marriages are just the tip of the iceberg, as other vices such as child prostitution and drug abuse have been on the rise in recent years.
Still, the fight in this pint-sized champion refuses to let her quit.
In fact, she has grown accustomed to fighting both in the literal and figurative sense.
Having been introduced to the sport at the tender age of five, Maritsa has had to scratch and claw her way up.
“I was drawn into martial arts by my father, who I used to accompany to the gym for his training. He was mostly into lightweight bodybuilding and kyokushin, and I would later switch and forge my own path in 2017.
“At the time, my dream of competing at the Olympics was the main reason I switched from kyokushin to taekwondo,” she said.She quickly made a name for herself, attaining a first-dan black belt.
In 2018, she won a bronze medal at the Panther Cadet Championships in Bulawayo and silver at the Korean Ambassador Championships.
The following year, she won two gold medals at the Epworth Junior Cadet Championships. While the Covid-19 pandemic put her competitive days on ice, for the moment at least, her desire to help the girl-child still runs deep.
Today, she has a group of about 25 girls, whom she trains taekwondo in a bid to educate and keep them away from early marriages.
So, why taekwondo?
“Well, taekwondo promotes a positive character, self-control and perseverance.
“Self-control helps the girls resist activities that may result in them entering these early and child marriages.
“Perseverance helps them to keep going when faced with difficult situations.
“The sport also helps them believe in themselves and their abilities, which, in the long run, will help build and boost their self-esteem.
“The tenets of taekwondo are courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable,” she said.
Her project has not come without its drawbacks, with her biggest concerns at the moment being a proper dojo and equipment.
She currently holds her class at her parent’s Epworth home backyard.
This, however, has not stopped her from dreaming big.
Maritsa still dreams of gracing the Olympics one day and spreading her Vulnerable Under-aged People’s Auditorium to other provinces.
