Giving life and hope in the midst of suffering

But in every community there are individuals who have refused to give in to despair, and have selflessly given life and hope to their fellow citizens in a variety of ways. TAURAI BANDE met two such individuals. These are their stories.

Lecturer brings business studies to poor communities

When the universities closed in 2007 due to economic collapse, Victor Madzinga, a Bindura State university Business Studies lecturer, had no problem keeping himself occupied. He decided to teach poor children basic business skills in Marondera.

I enjoyed imparting my skills to students at the university. Because of lack of water, food and inadequate salaries, the university staff went on strike. I started offering business studies courses to school leavers in the community. I wanted to offer the courses for free, but some appreciative trainees are gave me tokens in small amounts of cash.

Classes are conducted at my house in Cherutombo and at selected public places in high density suburbs, where the bulk of students come from. Taking classes to the doorstep of beneficiaries help motivate them to pursue training to the end.

Zimbabweans are characterized by a unique entrepreneurship instinct. What is lacking is fine tuning and polishing of rough ends of their unharnessed capabilities. This is where I decided to face the challenge in a big way. I found spare time for the project since educational institutions were regularly closed due to protests against poor salaries.

I approached local city fathers Councilor Dominic Matangira and Mayor Farai Nyandoro for authority to conduct business-related courses for youths across the political divide.

According to a Public Order and Security Act (POSA), not more than three people are allowed to convene a meeting without police clearance. Permission was granted and, fortunately, the youths were raring to embark on the training. To avoid disadvantaging other areas of the town, I enrolled students at ward level across town in groups of 20.

Youths aged 17 or 18 who had just left high school found the economy unable to absorb them in tertiary education or industry. They found the course handy as a foundation for their future. I started teaching them how to write business proposals.

The second phase package embraces aspects of Marketing and General Business Management. This level has proved to be a crowd-puller. Subscription at this stage of the course is overwhelming. Practicing business people were also attracted by the subjects offered at this second phase.

The highest level at which I am taking students is middle level management studies. This syllabus covers aspects of how to run and manage a business profitably. These subjects are particularly relevant given the countrys unpredictable political, social and economic environment. With the economic meltdown in mind, I thoroughly groom trainees in aspects of strategic management to minimize losses.

Zimbabwes economy is informally based as most industries remain closed. Small-scale entrepreneurs run their business on a trial-and-error basis due to the inaccessibility of business studies schools in small towns. The course will run until the majority of the youths complete the programme.

Some graduates from my programme have managed to prepare their own business proposals and have since been given business loans by financial institutions. The Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) recently awarded loans, valued between $200 and $500, to youths who passed through my training course. They have now embarked on promising small-scale self-help projects.

Early this year, one of my students, Miriam Vhiriri, of Yellow City started a poultry project with 800 chickens. She also opened a food takeaway in town. She would slaughter and sell chicken meat at the food shop.

Should the university remain closed, I will continue running the courses throughout the week.

In an event that the institution is open, I will conduct courses for the youths over the weekends since I have a burning desire to see the next generation equipped with relevant business skills.

Madzinga has seen it all in the education and business environment. He is a senior lecturer at the Bindura University after being a Provincial Education Officer for Mashonaland East. He was also once a senior executive member with the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises. Marondera also benefited from his skills as Provincial Chief Economic Planner.

At present, Madzinga is preparing the province for an Artist Craft Expo, scheduled for Marondera on February 26. Artists will be show casing their art and other handcraft to the international market.