The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze and Tanyaradzwa Rusike
WHEN the late Mother Theresa said “ . . . at the end, what matters is: I was hungry and you gave me food to eat, I was naked and you clothed me . . .”as she reminisced the words by Jesus Christ, she may have summed up First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa’s exemplary life and works.
With a soft spot for the vulnerable in marginalised communities, the First Lady always exudes rare warmth to the under-privileged.
Recently, villagers in Chiweshe, where she was born, had everything to smile about.
It was a cold wintry Saturday when most villagers would ordinarily opt to stay indoors and enjoy the warmth around the fire in their thatched kitchens.
But for a few of the Kakora villagers, nothing could beat the warmth of the First Lady’s gesture as they came to the village square. A lot more would have wanted to witness the event, but the numbers were limited to observe Covid-19 protocols.
The First Lady had once again remembered her roots, where her journey began decades ago. With development previously dodging the small village, the First Lady graced the environs to share precious memories and moments. In her quest to upgrade her village and ensure modern learning, she donated a consignment of 22 HP laptops to Kakora Primary and Secondary schools.
Ploughing back into the community that moulded her, she recently refurbished classroom blocks and the church building among other facilities.
As Amai enjoyed lighter moments with the villagers at Kakora Primary school where her educational journey started years ago, she reinforced her love by giving back to the community she grew up in.
In her speech, she emphasised the importance of giving back to communities.
“By adopting the culture of ploughing back, communities can witness rapid transformation and growth,” she said with her trademark warm smile.
She encouraged Zimbabweans, particularly those with means, to help rebuild infrastructure in areas where they grew up.
With most villages and schools dilapidated into rustic sites over the years, the First Lady believes that if old students associations give back to their alma maters, villages and schools could improve.
In her village, she revamped the local hospital as well as giving a facelift to Rosa Clinic, which is her place of birth.
She built a health post which was named Maria Theresa in honour of her late mother.
With a waiting shelter set to be constructed at the site, the health post offers maternal, child health and outpatient services.
“I am who I am today because of this school and my aim of upgrading the school is to honour this place because pano ndipo pazvakatangira. This is the place that taught me to distinguish good and bad,” she reminisced.
“The developmental work that I am doing is not only for this area, but for the whole country.”
“If you look, right now I don’t have kids who are of school-going age, but that does not mean I should not help, these children are now mine too and as a mother I have the duty to look after them.
“When they grow up they will remember that there was a mother who learnt here years ago and later came to assist and they will do the same.”
Through her Angel of Hope Foundation, Amai is devoted to improving livelihoods of the underprivileged communities countrywide. Her programmes dovetail with the Government’s principle of equal development through empowerment of local governance structures to spearhead multi-faceted development in all provinces.
Amai Mnangagwa prioritises the social and economic advancement of vulnerable communities by ensuring they have access to food, shelter and healthcare.
Mazowe Central Legislator Honourable Sydney Chidamba commended the First Lady’s charity work and her passion to embrace marginalised areas.
“Last week Amai was here when we celebrated the renovations of this school and today she is back again which shows that she is truly a mother who has a heart of gold,” he said.
Hon Chidamba said the First Lady’s works serve as a lesson to those in influential positions and those based beyond borders to remember where they came from.
Headmistress at the primary school Mrs Rudo Bhunu, was equally elated by the First Lady’s benevolence.
Without laptops, the school would usually borrow gadgets from villagers to fulfil some of its requirements.
“To register Grade Seven examination candidates, we used to borrow from those who had children at the universities but today our prayers have been answered,” she said.
Mazowe District Schools Inspector Mr Alexander Mutenha celebrated the First Lady for bringing Information Communication Technology (ICTs) to the rural areas.
“Last week we were here receiving well-painted classrooms from the First Lady. Today we are here again to receive laptops, this is good and you have continued to do us proud. Laptops are used by both teachers and learners, especially because of the competence based curriculum.
“All learning areas are properly functioning when there is a computer to facilitate teaching and learning and with the lockdown due to Covid-19, schools are offering online learning,” he said.
Councillor for the area Cllr Chakabvepi Chinhema was charmed by the First Lady’s kind gesture.
“I’m failing to express my joy because of what has been done by our mother who, in another way, is our daughter.
“Our children did not even know how to use computers and laptops, but today our mother decided to come back and remember them, indeed the village is now enjoying the fruits of its womb,” he said.
