First Lady’s philanthropic work inspiring, admirable

Tendai Rupapa in BULAWAYO

KENYAN First Lady Mrs Rachel Ruto has expressed great admiration for First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s inspiring work across many sectors and wishes to replicate some of her counterpart’s programmes in the east African country.

Mrs Ruto, who accompanied her husband President William Ruto to the official opening of the 64th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo on Saturday, made the remarks after touring various exhibition stands in the company of her hostess.

The Kenyan First Lady and other guests were left spellbound after the screening on television, of a clip highlighting Dr Mnangagwa’s philanthropic works.

Dr Mnangagwa’s programmes in the health sector, Mrs Ruto said, had inspired her.

“I am very impressed by the work the First Lady of Zimbabwe my sister Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa is doing for the people of Zimbabwe.

“It has been encouraging going around the different exhibitions just seeing what the people of this great country are doing, especially looking at the women. We have gone to the SMEs and just seen the small businesses that the women are doing.”

“What has impressed me is what the First Lady is doing in her programmes on health issues because we say that without your good health, you can never even do the empowerment that women are doing.

“If the women who are doing big work do not have good health, they cannot be able to do the work so I am so impressed about the healthcare that she is doing especially the mobile clinics which she uses for her medical outreach programmes,” she said.

She added; “I have been able to go into the mobile hospital to see the screening of cervical cancer and all the different cancers which the First Lady is helping the people of Zimbabwe to screen. If detected early, cancer can be cured instead of waiting until it is very late.

“I am very happy and I wish to congratulate my sister. I am only realising that she is not doing only health and I am telling her she is doing everything, no wonder she is Amai,” Mrs Ruto said.

The Kenyan First Lady said Dr Mnangagwa looked at most things through the lens of a mother.

“She is a mother to the nation and as a mother you have to look at everything from the lens of a mother. I have seen her cooking with the elderly, I have seen her working with young people, I have seen her in environment and climate action and she is all around.

“Even as I go back to my country, I am taking the good things that I have seen my sister do and definitely when I get back to Kenya, I am going to pick some of the lessons and do them for my people. I just wish to congratulate her and I admire her and I want to emulate her work because she has done this ahead of me. I am very happy to come to Bulawayo. It’s my first time in Bulawayo, I have been to Harare but I am so happy because my sister has invited me to this exhibition and there is a lot that I have learnt,” she said.

Mrs Ruto’s comments came amid revelations that Dr Mnangagwa’s mobile hospital and mobile clinic stationed at the Ministry of Health and Child Care stand were popular with visitors to the 64th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo flocking there for free breast and cervical cancer screening.

Also conducted were other health checks for various ailments.

Dr Mnangagwa applauded elderly women who were having health checks for leading by example saying a healthy woman had enough energy to work and attend to all the challenges of her home.

The mother of the nation also toured the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development stand.

She was in the company of Vice President Chiwenga’s wife Mrs (Colonel) Miniyothabo Chiwenga and other dignitaries.

“I am so happy that you lead by example at your age hoping that children will follow suit. I encourage you to have regular health checks so that you know where you stand. To be able to work for our families, we need to be healthy. There is nothing wrong with being screened for any ailment because this increases our chances of getting an early diagnosis and early commencement of treatment. Wish you all the best,” the First Lady said.

Dr Mnangagwa uses the mobile hospital and mobile clinic for her countrywide medical outreach programmes to ensure the generality of the country’s citizenry has access to medical checks to allow for early diagnosis and treatment of ailments.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora praised the First Lady for her interventions which he said were working wonders for the ministry.

“I would like to extend my gratitude to the First Lady of Zimbabwe Her Excellency Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa for the support she continues to give our Ministry of Health and Child Care.

“She has given us support in so many fields as the ambassador for health. Where we are here at the Trade Fair in Bulawayo, we are witnessing her Angel of Hope Foundation’s mobile hospital which she is donating for screening women of different ailments through her foundation.

“This mobile bus is offering x-rays and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIAC) and testing for cervical cancer which is a screening which takes place in a few minutes.

“You can be able to pick pre-cancer or cancerous conditions in women. We are also using another AOH mobile clinic where there is also a mammogram for women to test for breast cancer which is a digital machine and the results can be out in eight minutes.

“We are doing a full breast examination which will benefit a lot of our women to avoid late diagnosis. We also have an ultrasound scan on the same mobile bus. That ultrasound scan can make it possible for a woman who has a breast lesion suspected to be cancerous to be biopsied, taking a sample which can be taken to the lab which makes it a one-stop shop,” he said.

Dr Mombeshora also highlighted some of the services offered by the Foundation’s mobile hospital.

“We are also offering vaccination for young girls nine to 15-years-old for the HPV which causes cervical cancer. This is great work which is being done by our mother of the nation and we appreciate it,” he said.

Mrs Jacqueline Nkala said the mobile screening services offered by the First Lady had come in handy for her as she was failing to raise funds for the services after being referred by a medical doctor a year ago.

“I am so happy because we are being checked free of charge. I had been referred by a doctor about a year ago but I couldn’t get the money. Surgeries were charging US$200 which was beyond my reach and I decided to stay at home so I want to thank our mother for this. May God bless her,” she said with happiness written all over her face.

Miss Mufaro Dongo, a youth, echoed similar words.

“On behalf of the young ladies, we are grateful for the programme that our mother has brought for us. We are going to be screened for cervical cancer.

“We are very appreciative that we are in safe hands with free mobile testing. I thank our mother for the wonderful programme. A healthy nation is a wealthy nation and the future lies in our hands as the youth,” she said.

Mrs Sikhanyisile Sibanda was equally grateful.

“We are happy with what our mother is doing because cancer is killing a lot of people and if we get such opportunities to be screened, it can be treated if caught early. Such mobile services are helpful and this allows people to be treated and survive,” she said.

Mrs Nomsa Dube also expressed gratitude to the First Lady for her intervention.

“We thank our First Lady for giving us such opportunities to access such services as women. At times the money is prohibitive so we are thankful and we encourage both women and girls to come and be screened. Amai has brought a hospital to our doorstep,” she said.

The First Lady, who is personally an avid farmer and the Agric4She patron, also visited the Ministry of Agriculture Stand where Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka courted her services to amplify the message of hard work among farmers.

“Food security for the nation this season will be threatened because of the El Nino-induced drought and we know that our harvests will be lower than expected. Our food security in Zimbabwe is based on maize. We need 1,4 million tonnes of maize for human consumption and another 400 000 for feed.

But now we have been promoting agroecological tailoring to go back to our traditional grains. This year we have seen a 20 percent increase in the area grown to traditional grains so we want to see an increasing shift towards traditional grains to climate-proof agriculture. In your efforts as you go around as the patron for agric4she and the cookout, Amai you have been amplifying the message that we must go back to our roots, this is naturally bio-fortified that is what we need.

“But the shortfall this year will be met, we have only harvested 744 000 tonnes out of our requirement of 1,8 million, the shortfall will be met from this introduction. We have a competitive advantage in producing wheat during winter compared to maize.

“This winter we are producing 600 tonnes of wheat so it will then add to our food security requirements. We will end our shortages through increased wheat production,” he said.

The First Lady also viewed healthy produce on display including rapoko, sunflower, millet, sweet potatoes and African pear among other produce. –  Herald