…As they officially welcome school returnees to the school environment
Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI-Coalition Against Child Labour in Zimbabwe (CACLAZ) recently welcomed its school returnees into the school environment at a fanfare party held at Uswaushava Primary School.
The move was warmly welcomed by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education as well as surrounding communities as almost every child, from its three incubation centres, is benefitting from its feeding scheme which has improved children’s nutrition.
Last week, CACLAZ, which has a thrust in responding to the growing problems of child labour in the country through raising awareness and helping those in need, welcomed its school returnees, who had dropped out of school, in style at Uswaushava Primary School, through competing in poetry and drama, raising awareness of their motto, ‘Parents to work and children to school’ before holding a fanfare party for them.
CACLAZ’s Projects Officer Esnath Ngandini said the fanfare party, poetry and drama competition was only meant to welcome the school returnees into the school environment and not to determine who was best than the other.
“This competition and the party we are having today are not to determine who is the best among others but an event to welcome of returnees to the school environment,” said Ngandini.
Chiredzi District Schools Inspector (DSI) Petronella Nyangwe said the initiative is a noble one which has managed to benefit most children who had dropped from school as it is one of the most effective in terms of access to education.
“The programme is an excellent initiative. A lot of children have been able to return to school and have received support to stay in school at the three participating schools. It’s one of the most effective programmes in terms of access to education in our district,” said Nyangwe.
Panganai Gwadamirai from Mac-Kushinga said the project is a game changer for most children whose hope to get education had been lost as they have managed to cater for most children who had dropped from school with school fees, stationery and food to motivate them to continue learning.
“The returnees have benefitted a lot. They are now enjoying school together with other children as they managed to get stationery and a goat project which will generate the learners’ school fees. They have also offered a feeding scheme which is benefitting every pupil at the three schools in the programme,” said Gwadamirai.
CACLAZ is making strides towards the reduction of child induced labour in estates and new resettlements, where they have established incubation centres at Uswaushava Primary School, where they also helped with the construction of school blocks, Mac-Kushinga and Chipiwa Primary schools, where they managed to rejuvenate the long lost educational hope for more than 600 pupils.
Mac-kushinga, Uswaushava and Chipiwa Primary Schools are benefitting from the feeding scheme involving the Corn Soya Blend (CSB) porridge with vitamins, proteins and minerals which pupils get every morning and overnight maheu in the afternoon.
