BY OWN CORRESPONDENT
FAMILY AIDS Counselling Trust (FACT) has come to the party as the development partner partnered United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (UCCZ) affiliated Chipinge College of Horticulture in skills development which resulted in 50 young women graduating on Friday last week at the college.
Chief of Party for FACT, Bertha Mukome, the guest of honour, said FACT has women as leading lights in the organization and one of the aims of FACT is to empower the girl child.
She said: “You may like to hear that FACT Zimbabwe has Mai Shumba as the executive director. Programmes director is Mai Taregerwei. Our Finance Director is Mrs Violet Garapo and Chief of party is Bertha Mukome.
“We want to empower young women so that they can live a life free from HIV. All new infections are found among the 15-24 age-group of women. I am happy that 50 out of 50 finished their course. That is very commendable.”
The 50 young women undertook a one year course in one of the courses offered at the college namely: garment making, cosmetology and beauty therapy, motor vehicle maintenance, welding, brick and block laying and carpentry and joinery.
Speaking at the same occasion, the president of UCCZ, thanked FACT for helping the girl child to be empowered using her hands.
“Our vision is to be the leading provider of skills in Chipinge and the whole of Manicaland if not Zimbabwe as a whole. We thank you FACT for you make our vision easier to accomplish as we want to complement the government’s Vision 2030 by proffering Education 5.0,” he said.
There are 128 self sponsored students at the college but the graduation was solely for the 50 students who started last year and unlike other streams, no one fell by the wayside. They were 50 students to start with and they graduated with the same number of those who began the course last year under FACT.
UCCZ Education chair, Frederick Bandama, urged the graduates to remain steadfast and take the cudgel and be their own employers as these days one has to have a skill to survive.
He said: “I am sure you will take your trades seriously. These days every child has the capacity to be a bread winner. Be employers and it’s not recommended to whine and one day is one day.”
One of the women who specialized in Motor vehicle maintenance, Chipo Bangwayo was elated. She said she can see herself as a future employer.
“I came here as green horn but I can assure you that I can do it as a driver.”
Every year young men and women throng the school looking for a place to study.