First Lady receives 950 sewing machines from India. . . machines to boost your initiatives

Tendai Rupapa –Senior Reporter

FIRST Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, who is Patron of the Angel of Hope Foundation, yesterday received 950 sewing machines from the Government of India to be used in its nationwide multi-pronged empowerment initiatives aimed at empowering women and financially stable young people through vocational training and job creation .

The First Lady, who is the country’s health ambassador, also promoted the sewing of reusable sanitary napkins to improve menstrual hygiene and alleviate the plight of women in disadvantaged communities.

To date, many women and girls across the country have benefited from her sewing project where the First Lady, through her foundation, has provided vocational training, donated sewing machines, materials and all the other accessories for the success of the project.

Dr. Mnangagwa also donates sewing machines to schools nationwide and provides training in making reusable pads to school children so that no student misses school during their menstrual cycle due to lack of pads.

Therefore, India’s donation will boost Amai Mnangagwa’s already ongoing projects as she is passionate about women empowerment and community development.

During his visit in June, India’s Minister of State for External and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri V Muraleedharan, presented a sample sewing machine to the First Lady as the consignment prepared to be dispatched from India.

Presenting the machines to the First Lady yesterday, India’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr. Vijay Khanduja said the donation of the sewing machines was in recognition of the philanthropic work done by the Angel of Hope Foundation under the patronage of the First Lady.

The Indian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr. Vijay Khanduja, handed over the sewing machines to the Founder and Patron of the Angel of Hope Foundation, the First Lady, Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa, at Zimbabwe House yesterday.

The First Lady recently traveled to India where she met with various organizations and individuals eager to support her Foundation, a sign that her tremendous work is being widely recognized.

It was during this visit that the pledge of sewing machines was made.

“The efforts of the First Lady are aimed at promoting not only health, hygiene and well-being, but also values, morals and an approach to life based on integrity.

“All of these are very necessary in today’s world. The welfare of society is not just the task of an individual or an organization, but of all who can and should contribute to it,” he said.

Sewing machines, he said, will empower women and make them financially independent and breadwinners.

“When we empower women, we empower the whole family. I will repeat the often quoted remark that “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day”. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for life.

“I hope that the sewing machines and the vocational training provided by the Angel of Hope Foundation will have the effect of supporting families for a long period of time,” he said.

The Ambassador acknowledged that the First Lady played an important role in promoting strong bilateral ties between India and Zimbabwe.

The First Lady visited India in May where she held meetings with various organizations there to promote ties in the sectors of health, education, environment, tourism and agriculture.

In the field of health, India has donated medicines, particularly in the fight against Covid-19 and tuberculosis, ambulances and vaccines against covaxin.

Cooperation in the education sector sees a number of students go to study in India every year, both self-funded and on scholarships.

The Ambassador said much more needed to be done to harness the untapped potential of bilateral relations between India and Zimbabwe, as well as to support vulnerable communities through service projects.

“Once again, I would like to commend Her Excellency the First Lady and her Foundation for being a beacon of hope,” he said.

In her acceptance remarks, the mother of the nation said she felt honored to witness the power of humanity through the donation of sewing machines by the Government of India through its embassy in her country. quest to support the fundamental principles and good works of the Angel of Hope Foundation.

Sewing machines, she said, will help empower women and young people as training gadgets to sew sanitary ware, uniforms and dresses in general.

“It will help them earn a living while helping the less privileged know how to use sewing machines and how to maintain them for efficiency and extended life.

“The precious gift came as a vital pillar to support my efforts to ensure that every less privileged Zimbabwean gets affordable sanitary items and improved livelihoods,” she said.

“It has become a norm that during my Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba programs across the country, I carry reusable sanitary pads and hand them to girls after teaching them the values ​​and acceptable behaviors of African cultural norms.

“Now it would be my turn to travel to all the places where these machines would have been disbursed, to inspect the sewing products and to check how the products are benefiting the inhabitants of these areas.

Dr Mnangagwa said it was one of the main drivers of the Angel of Hope Foundation to facilitate the empowerment of women through training in different facets of life such as detergent making, cooking and sewing , to name a few.

The 950 sewing machines donated to the Angel of Hope Foundation by the Indian government at Zimbabwe House yesterday.

“I wish the importance of these training programs will improve the standard of living of the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.

“Your Excellency the Ambassador of India, I want to assure you that this donation will not only benefit the Angel of Hope Foundation in its empowerment campaign, but also Zimbabwe as a nation.

“I say this because the training programs that would be supported by these sewing machines will help the whole nation in many ways, which reduces rural exodus, reduces the dependency syndrome, promotes income generation, creates jobs and improves living standards and improves skills development resulting in reduced early marriage, reduced drug abuse and domestic violence.

“This donation will help eradicate poverty in so many ways from a humble beginning. Let me take this opportunity to implore local leaders and the business fraternity to also provide materials such as fabrics, yarn and other accessories to support the growth of sanitary ware, uniforms and training programs in the making of clothes. »

Earlier, the First Lady showered the Indian Ambassador with praise and said she was a beneficiary of India as she had received a doctorate from GD Goenka University which oversees her work.

“I would like to thank the Government of India, through your Embassy here in Zimbabwe, for your support. As for the machines to support the little girl, I knew they would come because you are a man of your word through your government. What you tell your government is the truth you see where you serve,” she said.

The machines couldn’t have come at a better time as they will help Amai Mnangagwa immensely in her empowerment programs.