Staff Reporter

THE Tendai Chitowa Foundation (TCF) yesterday (Wednesday) donated goods worth $50 000 (RTGS) to Sagambe High School in Mutasa North, where its patron Tendai Chitowa learnt and hails from.

The TCF, is a private, voluntary non-profit making organisation based in Mutare which focuses mostly on orphans and vulnerable children, the physically handicapped and the elderly destitute in community. As a gesture of good faith to remember and honour where its patron hails from and learnt, as well as empowering the girl child in the rural areas, the Tendai Chitowa Foundation inspired the 2019 National Association of School Heads (NASH) Mutasa district girls soccer champions, Sagambe High School Under-20 girls team, with a timely shot in the arm of a new, full soccer kit, five soccer balls, 15 soccer boots and 15 camping mattresses. On top of the donation to the girls soccer team, there was stationery handed over to the school which comprised of 26 large and 45 medium world globes, 126 boxes of blue pens, 120 white chalk boxes and 60 coloured chalk boxes.

The Sagambe High U-2o girls soccer team in their new kit with soccer boots and new soccer balls.

Sagambe High sports director Hazvinei Chitovoro said the donation towards the girls soccer team was a timely morale booster ahead of the NASH U-20 Manicaland provincial soccer tournament which will be hosted by Bumbira Secondary School in Nyanga from next week Thursday to Friday. He said before the girls were disadvantaged playing barefooted with worn-out, cheap quality uniforms. “Thank you the Tendai Chitowa Foundation. We have talented girl footballers here. Imagine this is the second time they have won the NASH district championship. The first time was in 2013 and they lost in the final playing barefooted, of which we can say lack of resources has been our biggest lack. This year I feel we will excel with this new kit, soccer boots and matrasses for them to sleep on during their training camp for the tournament. The fact that these girls defeated their rivals in the district from leading schools like Hartzel, Bonda, Tsvingwe High, St Matthias Tsonzo to mention a few, which are better resourced, tells you that we have raw gems here and this donation will go a long way to nurture their talent,” said Chitovoro.

The longest serving teacher at the school, since 1991, who is now the deputy headmaster, Norman Munetsi, said he was proud of his former Geography student, Tendai Chitowa, who came back to honour his school that moulded him. “We always talk about this to our students that we should change our community and it begins with each and every one of us doing the little we can to make a difference. I am so proud to see my products bare fruits and achieve better than us their teachers. I used to tell them to achieve better than us and he has done so. I am not jealous but it makes me proud,” said Munetsi.

The patron of the Tendai Chitowa Foundation, Tendai Chitowa (centre), with his board members handing over the donation valued at $50 000 (RTGS) to Sagambe High School.

The school’s headmistress Joylin Kuhudzai was lost of words by the donation said it would definitely inspire other students at the rural school to dream big in life and not be belittled by their rural background.
“The fact that the patron of the foundation is our alumni and a successful businessman alone inspires our students. I know this donation will also motivate other alumni to come back and help their school. We know it is not easy to donate to charity cases during our current difficult economic times. Thank you the Tendai Chitowa Foundation and may God bless you because I was really at pains about the embarrassment we would face again at the provincial tournament with our worn-out uniforms. We now have a quality kit and you have made us happy. Thank you once again, I am sure we are going to perform,” said the headmistress.

Chitowa said the inspiration of the foundation was to make a difference as indigenous entrepreneurs towards philanthropic works. “With my colleagues we said we should not just wait for international donors to help our own. At times it is not about having millions of dollars but doing what we call ‘one act of kindness’ with the little you have to spare. Some people are in need of small things to help change their lives, just like the soccer kit for these girls. It may not be much but it’s a big inspiration to them and you never know where that inspiration will take the team. One of the girls might excel to play for an international club after being scouted through this opportunity at the provincial tournament… I come from here and I learnt here from my primary education right up to secondary level from 1989 to 1992 which was Form One to Form Four. So you should learn that anything is possible in life if you work hard even for those like us who were raised in the rural areas,” said Chitowa.

The chairman of TCF Lloyd Mapunga said giving a background on the foundation said although the foundation was still young having been established in 2017, it is really motivated to move mountains on philanthropic work and it would start it Manicaland then expand throughout the country with God’s blessings. He urged other indigenous businesspeople to join their plight towards corporate social responsibility in helping to shape their immediate community wherever they operate in Zimbabwe. The TCF recently won the Corporate Social Responsibility Award at the recently held Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) Manicaland Awards, for its efforts towards philanthropic deeds since its establishment in 2017.

Tendai Chitowa presenting the goods donated by his foundation.

The event was also graced by the TCF vice-chairman Callistus Kombo, its public relations manager Ngoni Dapira, representatives from the Sagambe school development committee, Headman Sagambe and members of the Chitowa family from Sagambe.