The Education Through Sports programme, funded by Plan International Norway, targets marginalised areas that have been among the largest hit by school drop-outs and sexually- transmitted diseases.
Launched in December last year, the programme has reportedly been well-received by the youth in Chipinge. It gives the young people a platform to discuss developmental and health issues in their home areas.
Through a mentorship programme already in place, the youths and their mentors discuss ways they can assist develop their communities and also learn about sexual and reproductive health. “The programme aims to unite and educate youths on developmental issues in communities like Zamchiya, Mariya, Muumbe and Chiomo areas in Chipinge district, where there is a high prevalence of dropping out of school and of sexually- transmitted diseases,” said the trust’s Programmes Officer, Edwin Sithole.
“We are educating communities on the importance of sport and education as a key tool in breaking the cycle of poverty in communities, mostly at a family level. There has been a good response from parents and youths and we hope that as we go ahead, we will be able to reach more families.”
He said lack of education and mentorship programmes in Chipinge had come with adverse effects for the youth, as evidenced by an increase in early marriages.
“We realised that many young people from Chipinge had failed to make it in life for a dearth in mentorship and career guidance programmes, leading some to turn to early marriages, while others illegally migrated to Mozambique and South Africa. We also try to secure a brighter future for the youths by educating them on HIV and AIDS issues.”
Headman Tasara Zamchiya said cases of school dropouts in his area were worrisome. He attributed that to a lack of proper education and mentorship.
“In many cases, we see young people dropping out of school at a tender age because they want to get married. We have vainly tried to engage their parents, but with this kind of engagement, we hope parents and their children will learn the importance of education, which I believe is key to success,” said Zamchiya.
A beneficiary of the programme, Jesca Gapara (21), from Mariya village said: “Young people from remote areas are often side-lined from developmental and educative programmes and this is affecting our potential to succeed in life. We hope programmes of this nature will continue so that we get the leverage to develop our communities.”
Another Beneficiary, Simeon Zamchiya (26), said: “Quite often, we do not have platforms for discussion of issues affecting our communities and that is one of the factors that have been affecting our development. We hope that with more of these platforms, we will be able to teach each other on how we can develop our areas.”
Post published in: Football