CHEGUTU - The U S continues to contribute towards the rebuilding of Zimbabwes education system despite claims by individuals facing travel and economic sanctions that its targeted measures are negatively impacting the countrys development. The U S government has provided $1 million to a joint donor effort headed by UNICEF to provide textbooks to students in Zimbabwe. We are proud that as a result of these efforts there will now be a one-to-one ratio of books to primary school students, which has not occurred in Zimbabwe in a long time. All of our efforts reflect the fact that the U S and its allies are committed to providing a culture of reading and learning, said Ambassador Charles Ray as he handed over a set of reference books worth US$1,000 to Mupfure Self Help College in Chegutu, Mashonaland West Province Thursday. Former Education Minister Fay Chung facilitated the book donation.
The book donation is a result of a 2009 meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, which included a discussion on how best the United States could assist in rebuilding Zimbabwe.
A handful of placard-waving individuals calling for the lifting of targeted sanctions was present at the handover ceremony, which was also attended by students, school authorities, representatives of government from various ministries, and senior embassy officials.
Responding to a question by one of the demonstrators, Ray said the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA) of 2001 has had no effect on Zimbabwe’s economy and is not related to targeted sanctions.
Mupfure Self Help College, with a student enrolment of 326 students, was developed by the Zimbabwe Foundation for Education for Production (ZIMFEP) to deliver a comprehensive vocational and technical training program aimed at the disadvantaged. The college is also developing other programs, including HIV and AIDS prevention, the establishment of a secondary school for students in surrounding communities, and a clinic for the school and community.
Ray hailed founding members, ZIMFEP and staff at the college for improving the lives of war veterans and making a positive impact on all Zimbabweans.
I am particularly aware of the difficulties that veterans and their families often face. I know that many of you and your relatives have faced and overcome many hardships during the years before and after independence in 1980, said the Ambassador.
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