By Staff Reporter
MASVINGO – A 14-year-old wheelchair tennis player, Liberty Manyiwa, recently got a scholarship to study up to form four at Ray of Hope Academy in Sikato area in Masvingo after a sterling performance at Danhiko National Paralympic games held in Harare recently
Ray of Hope Director Chidaushe Mudadi said they gave Manyiwa a scholarship to show the school’s commitment to inclusive education and that hard work should be rewarded.
He said another reason was that he raised the school’s flag and deserved to be rewarded with a scholarship to encourage others to participate in the games.
“We decided to give him a scholarship to study from form one up to form 4. We made the decision to show our commitment to inclusion. Our school does not discriminate even the disabled learners and one such learner has raised our flag higher and put our school on the map.
“This is the reason why we decided to award him with a scholarship that would lessen the fees burden on his guardian,” said Mudadi
Manyiwa said he was happy with the opportunity saying it came as a surprise and thanked the school for the recognition and support through his sporting journey.
He said he started playing wheelchair tennis in 2022 when he was approached by one other local coaches who had seen him in Mucheke stadium where he had gone to watch soccer.
“I was seen by one of the coaches while I was watching soccer in Mucheke stadium, he then asked me if I wanted to try and that’s how I started playing the game.
“I am happy that we won as a team at the Danhiko Paralympic games and I am very happy with the support I got from the school and the all the stakeholders who made it possible for us to participate at the tournament,” said Manyiwa.
The Danhiko Paralympic games were held from September 9 to 22 and several games including visual impairment goal ball, sitting volleyball, deaf netball and football, swimming and other field events.
Masvingo participated in wheelchair tennis and became the overall winner at the tournament.
