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In Lupane, Catholic sisters bring early childhood education to rural areas

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BY MARKO PHIRI

Zimbabwe in recent years has promoted early childhood development, or ECD, making it mandatory for every child to attend such classes before they are accepted into the first grade.

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This policy, however, has not been without its challenges, including a shortage of ECD educators and few government-run schools that offer such classes.

That has led to a flourishing of fly-by-night unregistered  schools offering preschool lessons.

It has been particularly tough in rural areas, long left behind in the country’s development agenda where children often fail to go to school because of a lack of education facilities and parents’ failure to pay for tuition.

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To fill that gap, a diocesan congregation of Catholic sisters has set up two early childhood education schools in Lupane, a poor rural district about170 kilometres north of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city.

Lupane is a small farming and livestock rearing hamlet with a population of about 200,000 people.

At its centre can be found modern conveniences such as banks, supermarkets, bars, and long-distance buses and truckers going as far as the tourist city of Victoria Falls, 223 kilometres west.

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Lupane’s centre is a hive of activity that belies the poor rural incomes found in some villages stretching more than 20 kilometers into the hinterland.

The Servants of Mary the Queen, known by their Latin abbreviation AMR () are a congregation of Indigenous nuns formed in 1956 by Mariannhill missionaries in Bulawayo.

The congregation has about 70 sisters whose apostolate straddles teaching, nursing, communication; general pastoral work; and working with the Bulawayo archdiocese and its rural missions spread across the country’s southwest.

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Local government education officials have hailed the early childhood education development programmes run by the sisters as a first in the region with state-of-the-art facilities.

There are two early childhood programs, one in Lupane centre and another at the primary school about two kilometre in Matshiya village.

“All children must attend ECD classes. We want to produce well-grounded citizens and the best place to start is in early childhood education,” said Sr. Praxedis Nyathi, who heads the AMR Primary School, from early childhood education to grade seven.

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She specialised in early childhood education after having made her final vows as a religious in 1998.

According to Nyathi, the school opened in 2018 in Matshiya village with just over 100 children, from early childhood development classes to grade seven.

That number has since grown to about 500, highlighting the ever-present need to provide education in the country’s rural areas.

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At the AMR Primary School, where more classrooms are still under construction, Nyathi says it is challenging to persuade families in rural communities to enroll their children in ECD.

“Some parents try to cut corners and delay enrolling their children and attempt to bring them straight into the first grade.

“But we have made it clear that we will not accept any child who has not attended ECD classes,” Nyathi told GSR.

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In Zimbabwe’s rural areas, it is not unusual for parents to choose to send sons to school and keep their daughters at home, believing that the investment in their education will be lost once the girl marries.

Nyathi says the sisters are trying hard to change that attitude.

“We have such cases but ever since we opened the ECD classes, we have been hard at work convincing families to enrol the girl child too.

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“We are making small strides but there is still a lot of work to be done,” Nyathi said.

That need to enroll more children at ECD is emphasised by Sr. Midlred Chiriseri, an AMR sister who teaches at the nearby AMR Secondary School, which offers what is known as Form 1 through Form 4 classes for students ages 13 to 17.

Students from the ECD and primary schools run by the congregation feed into the secondary school.

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Actually, there is a need to enroll more children at all school levels, Nyathi said.

Parents must be persuaded to bring their children to school, follow up on their schoolwork and be involved in their children’s education.

“It’s a real challenge here in the rural areas where up to 80% of students are non-readers, meaning they cannot articulate themselves as other literate learners of their age would.

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“So we have to start them early at ECD to address that,” Chiriseri told GSR.

“What we also need are more religious in Catholic schools if we are to fulfil our mission to instil Catholic values in learners,” Chiriseri said.

The irony is that while some parents remain reluctant to enrol their children, Nyathi says the existing ECD classes are oversubscribed.

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“We have a situation where ideally we should have 20 children in one class, but we in fact have up to 42 children, which is a strain on our teachers,” Nyathi said, because the school doesn’t have enough teachers.

The country faces a shortage of teachers , including ECD educators.

Nyathi said that her congregation and other religious congregations send some sisters for teacher training, but it is still the government that deploys them after they graduate, often sending them to government-run schools.

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Zimbabwe is celebrated as one of Africa’s most literate countries, and the education ministry says that such gains since the country’s independence in 1980 would not have been possible without the contribution of the Catholic Church.

The country’s education officials say more than 3,000 primary and secondary schools are required to meet Zimbabwe’s education commitments, with rural areas being particularly in need.

Bulawayo Archbishop Alex Thomas has praised the sisters, calling on them to be “educators of life.”

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The journey ahead will include ensuring that learners who pass through the AMR schools are well equipped for life as adults, Nyathi said.

She would like to see not just academic excellence but also aptitude in practical subjects that ensure self-reliance in a country where there are few formal jobs.

“Catholic schools should be a place where children find Christ, and by starting them early at ECD, we try to produce self-respecting learners who will make meaningful contributions in their respective communities,” Nyathi said. – Global Sisters Report

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ZimParks to host first-ever International Wildlife Conservation symposium

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) will hold its inaugural International Wildlife Conservation Symposium under the theme “Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Development.”

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The two-day event, scheduled for October 22 to 23, next week, will take place at the Management Training Bureau in Msasa, Harare. It will bring together conservationists, researchers, policymakers, and students to discuss key issues around wildlife protection and sustainable development.

The symposium will focus on eight sub-themes, namely Wildlife Conservation and Transboundary Management, Freshwater, Fisheries and Aquatic Management, Sustainable Tourism and Socio-Economic Development, Human-Wildlife Interactions, Environmental Health and Safety, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Community-Based Natural Resource Management, and Natural Resource Policy and Governance.

ZimParks says the symposium will provide a platform to exchange ideas and deepen understanding of the link between wildlife conservation and sustainable development. Members of the public, students, and professionals are encouraged to attend.

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“We are losing ground”: Counsellors’ demotivation threatens Zimbabwe’s HIV gains

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

The men and women who have been at the heart of Zimbabwe’s fight against HIV — the primary health counsellors — say their morale has hit rock bottom as they continue to work without job security, inconsistent pay, and uncertain futures.

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These counsellors, stationed across hospitals and clinics countrywide, form the backbone of the country’s HIV prevention and treatment programme. They handle testing, counselling, and patient follow-ups — ensuring those on antiretroviral therapy stay in care and that new infections are detected early.

But as Hwange West legislator Vusumuzi Moyo warned in Parliament, the system supporting these essential workers is “crumbling quietly.”

“Their salaries have been very erratic, sometimes going for months without pay,” Moyo told VicFallsLive after his parliamentary question to the Minister of Health and Child Care. “These people are the heartbeat of HIV management. They’re paid from the Global Fund, but payments have not been consistent, and the government has taken too long to incorporate them into the civil service.”

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Currently, the counsellors are funded under the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) — a donor mechanism that has kept thousands of Zimbabwean health posts afloat for years.

However, global aid shifts, including the ripple effects of the U.S. administration’s restrictions on foreign aid, have made their positions increasingly vulnerable.

Health Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora confirmed during a recent parliamentary session that staff bids had been submitted to Treasury for approval to absorb counsellors into the government payroll.

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He said that while donor funding has decreased, both the U.S. Government and Global Fund have continued to prioritise support for human resources at primary healthcare level.

Still, for many of the counsellors — and for communities relying on them — the wait has been too long.

Moyo painted a grim picture of what’s happening in hospitals.

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“If you go to referral hospitals like Forrester, you’ll find that about 90% of male ward patients are people who have defaulted on treatment,” he said. “It’s because counsellors are no longer motivated. They used to follow up with patients, call them if they missed visits, and make sure they stayed in care. But now, with no pay or recognition, there’s no incentive to keep doing that work.”

He warned that the country’s AIDS-related deaths are rising again, undoing the progress Zimbabwe had made in reducing HIV prevalence.

“Our statistics had been improving — even other countries were benchmarking our model. But now, it’s as if we’re back to the old days. You see people sick again, wards filling up, and that speaks to a system that’s failing quietly,” Moyo added.

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Zimbabwe has long been recognised as one of Africa’s HIV success stories, cutting its national prevalence from over 26% in the early 2000s to around 11% today, according to research studies. Much of that progress was driven by a strong network of community-based counsellors who ensured people were tested, treated, and supported.

 

 

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Bulawayo mourns Nkulumane MP and poet Desire “Moyoxide” Moyo

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

The City of Bulawayo has expressed deep sorrow following the death of Nkulumane MP and acclaimed poet Desire “Moyoxide” Moyo, who died in a car accident early Friday morning near Shangani.

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In a condolence message issued by Town Clerk Christopher Dube on behalf of the Mayor, Senator David Coltart, councillors, and residents, the city described Moyo as “an iconic leader, poet par excellence, and creative who strove to champion the arts in Bulawayo and beyond.”

Moyo, who was affectionately known as Moyoxide, was praised for his commitment to the city’s artistic and civic development. The statement highlighted his impact through his multiple roles — as a Member of Parliament for Ngulumane, a community leader, and a poet who spoke out against injustices while advocating for progress.

“He positively impacted the city through his roles as a leader and poet who challenged all for the development of Bulawayo and the country,” read part of the statement.

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The City of Bulawayo also extended its condolences to the Moyo family, the Bulawayo community, and the nation at large.

“May his soul rest in eternal peace,” the statement added.

The city further wished a speedy recovery to other CCC legislators who were injured in the same accident — Honourables Madalaboy Ndebele, Senator Rittah Ndlovu, Sethulo Ndebele, and Libion Sibanda.

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Would you like me to create a short social media version of this too — something you could post with the condolence notice image?

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