First Lady champions empowerment

Blessings Chidakwa

EMPOWERMENT champion First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, who is the Agric4She patron, has encouraged women to continue working hard for their personal development.

Through her successful empowerment vehicle-Agric4She, Amai Mnangagwa is economically empowering women countrywide who have taken a leap into the economic mainstream, through agriculture.

On Tuesday, Dr Mnangagwa visited Chapinduka, ward 1 in Rushinga for a field day. She could not hide her joy as she came face-to-face with the fruits of her farming initiative.

She toured Nyamuwe Dam, and a nutritional garden where there is a hive of activities including horticulture and aquaculture.

The mother of the nation interacted with a group of 100 women farmers, including those with disabilities, who are working in the thriving garden endowed with various types of vegetables that include pumpkin leaves, rape, tomatoes, cabbages, okra, onions, watermelons, and tsunga.

While touring the garden, the First Lady’s attention was caught by the works of 32-year-old Gladys Chiutsi who has a disability.

She narrated her daily routine to the First Lady proving that disability does not mean inability.

From the garden, the First Lady who is also the country’s environment patron, proceeded to plant a mango tree of the kit variety, which grows faster than other varieties.

The initiative is in line with President Mnangagwa’s call for households to plant at least 10 fruit trees.

For continuity of the thriving project, the First Lady gifted the women with various farming equipment, and a grinding machine.

She further donated chicks, courtesy of the Presidential Poultry Scheme, and vegetable combo seeds that included eggplant, beetroot and hybrid tomatoes to the farmers.

Everyone who attended also walked away with seed packs for different types of vegetables.

In the face of the El-Nino induced drought, Amai Mnangagwa also handed several tonnes of maize to the vulnerable groups in the community.

Living true to her word of living no one and no place behind, the First Lady’s visit to Chapinduka area was the first of its kind for the villagers.

After her tour and interaction, Dr Mnangagwa proceeded to Chapinduka Primary school where she addressed hordes of people from Rushinga District commending the women for their hard work.

The First Lady rallied the audience to work hard towards personal development while inculcating into their children the spirit of hard work.

Amai Mnangagwa said it was an honour to officially launch the Agric4She programme in Rushinga district, an area mostly known for livestock production, namely poultry, goats, sheep and piggery.

“Our programme is about uplifting women. Most of the time women are associated with gossip, but here I am glad that they are united for a good cause. In the spirit of leaving no one and no place behind everyone should be developing.

“There is development at national, provincial and district level, but as your mother I want to see it starting at personal level. For it to manifest in the community and the country it starts at a personal level,” she said.

The First Lady said personal development starts with mind-set change and one’s way of life, identifying strengths for personal growth and working on the weaknesses.

“The development witnessed at the nutritional garden is now collective, probably it may have started with one household cascading down to benefit the whole community,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa hailed the women for their determination and perseverance underscoring the importance of agriculture in sustaining livelihoods.

Amai Mnangagwa, also a champion of against social ills, implored women to be dignified, while urging men to shun alcoholism and drug abuse.

“Traditional leaders should always work hard to ensure that children are well mannered, always respecting our good culture. A good person should always be identified by good deeds.

“For elderly women one can simply lose dignity by wearing a miniskirt society will label you as an immoral person. Men avoid abusing alcohol by always being drunk such that there is no family time,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa underscored the importance of traditional grains to people’s health.

The First Lady also took a swipe at parents fuelling child marriages saying there is need to ensure that children are protected from social vices.

The mother of the nation, an environment patron, also made a call for everyone to conserve trees and grass, since a lot of benefits can be derived from them.

“We are aware that our country is battling drought due to El-Nino induced drought caused by climate change. We should play our part. I urge you to desist from cutting down trees and stop contributing to veld fires.

“A single tree can live up to 100 years so if you just chop it, you have cut 100 years which were going to sustain livelihoods,” she said.

Amai Mnangagwa also had an interactive session with guests, on the importance of vegetation and tackling child marriages.

Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Cde Christopher Magomo hailed Amai Mnangagwa for her sterling works in which she is leaving no one and no place behind.

“This is a momentous occasion as we recognise the vital contributions of women who have been the backbone of our communities ensuring food security, sustainable livelihoods and the wellbeing of our families.

“Your Excellency, your commitment to the empowerment of women and tireless efforts in having positive change in the livelihood of vulnerable groups is always astounding,” he said.

Minister Magomo also congratulated Dr Mnangagwa for being honoured by the United Nations Tourism through scholarships to Zimbabwean students in tourism.

A beneficiary Mrs Pretty Munemo said hunger will be a thing of the past in their households and the community at large.

“At least I can manage to feed my family while selling surplus to cater for other needs including paying school fees for children,” she said.

A villager who preferred to be identified as Gogo Chaminda said apart from food security, being guaranteed by Agric4She, it will also help curb some of the social ills in their community.

“Gender Based Violence and gossiping are most likely to be reduced and eventually eliminated as we people now spend much time doing productive work instead of roaming around villages,” she said.

Another villager, Mrs Catherine Moyo said due to laziness and knowledge gaps they had strayed from farming traditional grains which are favourable in the area.

“Our sincere gratitude goes to the First Lady’s Agric4She for reminding us to stick to the small grains which are highly favourable in our area which has less rainfalls,” she said.

The First Lady has covered a lot of ground in the drive to empower women through agriculture, which is firmly in line with the Second Republic’s Vision 2030. – Herald