BY KUDA D. MUNDENDERE
A fleet of vehicles is parked along the Chipinge-Tanganda Highway near the “Welcome to Chipinge” sign post area. There is a developmental activity happening there. Scores of women are being active.
The event is none other than a tree planting exercise.
The event was organised by Rotary Club of Chipinge in collaboration with Chipinge Town Council where it planted 100 mahogany trees which were donated to the club by a private agro company named Makandi.
Speaking during the exercise, businesswoman Melaine Machinga, who is popularly known as ‘Mbuya vemaMotor Spare Parts’ in Chipinge and is the Foundation Chair for Rotary Club of Chipinge, said that women’s participation in the tree planting activity was a better way of celebrating International Women’s Day.
“Today is International Women’s Day. We are happy that we have combined the two, tree planting and women celebration on the same day. Women are very important in life. We know that if we cut down trees without replacing them, we would lose a very vital source of energy,” she said.
Tourism player, Winnie Chinheya, who is also a Rotarian, said that when nature is destroyed, it affects tourism in Zimbabwe. Another Rotarian, Elizabeth Mahiyana, who is a celebrated educationist in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), said that learners in educational institutions should be taught to practically apply climate change action.