The Sunday Mail
I WELCOME you heartily to this year’s Mothers’ Day commemorations, which, however, come at a time when we are battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
So harrowing has been the impact of the pandemic globally as it has claimed thousands of lives and left the world economy on its knees.
Zimbabwe has not been spared as it, too, has lost nearly 1600 lives since March 2020 when the first case was detected in our land.
As a mother, nothing pains me more than losing a child, and one life lost is one too many.
I implore you all to play a part in keeping Covid-19 at bay by simply adhering to preventive measures outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of masking up, washing hands with soap and maintaining social distance.
Our Ministry of Health and Child Care is monitoring the trend of this virus and encourages us on a daily basis not to lower our guard.
I am, therefore, encouraging you to embrace the ongoing vaccination programme.
Covid-19 has not been without economic and social challenges.
Many households have lost considerable income, placing a huge burden on the shoulders of mothers to fend for the family.
I, therefore, exhort you all mothers out there to pray for our nation and our leaders to find lasting solutions to this pandemic.
As a mother, I am worried by the surge in teen pregnancies, as we saw at the end of the previous lockdown-induced lockdown that many of our daughters failed to return to school after falling pregnant.
Falling pregnant at a tender age exposes our children to serious health challenges, poverty and sexually transmitted infections, among many other challenges.
The pandemic also saw an increase in drug abuse and domestic violence. As mothers, let’s put our heads together to ensure our children go back to the straight and narrow way of life which makes them grow up morally upright.
Madzimai, we should have time for our children to listen to the issues troubling them and proffer tangible solutions where possible.
Through my Angel of Hope Foundation, I have tried as much as possible to raise awareness on Covid-19, mobilise resources like face masks and food for our vulnerable communities.
This has not been enough for everyone in need and I believe we can make a huge impact by coming together to keep our families and communities safe.
I place a huge challenge on all mothers on our special day today to promote the consumption of our traditional dishes, which have high nutritional value and medicinal properties.
These dishes can also be economically beneficial to our economy through tourism, and this is a low-hanging fruit we can all tap into to boost the fortunes of our motherland.
I am disturbed by reports of children being murdered for ritual purposes in various communities.
We have no place for killers in our country, and avoid behaviours and beliefs that border on the bizarre and lack of respect for the sanctity of human life.
The law must take its course and ensure perpetrators of such heinous crimes are removed from society and be made to rot in jail.
Let us all as mothers ensure our children are safe and as adults let us allow children to grow as they are the leaders of tomorrow.
We all have a role to play in raising morally upright children in a safe environment.
I wish you all a happy and fulfilling Mother’s Day.
With love from the First Lady, Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa.
