National University of Science and Technology (NUST), emerged as the winner of this year’s Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) quiz competitions, which were held at Rujeko Farm in Nyazura.
This year’s competition had 16 universities, and the competition was running under the theme, ‘Know and Act, students leading equity and change.
University of Zimbabwe, Great Zimbabwe, ZEGU, Catholic University, Midlands State University, Gwanda University, Marondera University Of Agricultural Science and Technology, Reformed Church, Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), Lupane State University (LSU), and Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE), among others.
SAYWHAT, Chief Executive Officer, Jimmy Wilford, said the whole idea is to empower young people with knowledge that evolves with the real world.
“The whole idea is how we can motivate students to read more since they are given a wide range of areas.
“The quiz competitions have been to conscientise the students to excel and identify themselves, and demonstrate what they can do in a society.
“This growth is not only in numbers but in the depth of knowledge, passion, dedication, and young people showing in promoting gender equality and social justice.”
“Today they are students, tomorrow they are change makers, entrepreneurs, decision makers, and architects of a more equitable Zimbabwe.
“We are honoured by the presence of the Ministry of Women Affairs, which is a strong confirmation to promote gender equity and youth empowerment for our students.
“It affirms the ministry’s efforts in engaging in gender frameworks both locally and globally.
“The students hope to see the connection between the academic and real-world impact,” said Wilford.
One of the winners of the quiz competition, Danielle Manzini, from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), said that the quiz competitions have helped her a lot.
“The quiz competitions are enlightening us as young girls to be able to tackle all the challenges.”
While Gideon Mhlanga, from NUST, feels the competitions empower the young people to see the relationship between academia and the real world.
“This is helping us to connect with the real world as we are informed and empowered.”
SAYWHAT Advocacy Specialist, Isabella Michael, said the idea was born out of the need to assess young people’s knowledge of education rights.
“We invest in educating young people through information dissemination, peer-to-peer education, and informing them about sexual reproductive health and any interconnected issues.
“When we started the competition in 2019, we were only able to accommodate 10 universities in Zimbabwe, but now it has grown.
“This is quite exciting that faith-based organisations are now part of the sexual reproductive health issues.
“We are led by sustainable development goals, and we depend on development partners, which is a necessity in amplifying development work.
“We engaged private sector organisations, including Nyaradzo Group, Akello learning, who also played critical roles in implementing this impactful initiative.”
The event was also attended by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, who pledged commitment to promote gender equality and equity among young people in institutions of higher learning.
The Ministry’s Provincial Development Head for Manicaland, Gabriel Jaji said the initiatives help to balance the gender frameworks.
“We are excited to be part of this event, and as the ministry, we are the national coordination arm and machinery on gender equality and equity.
“We are responsible for seeing that there is equality in the country, and we see that our young people who are the future taking part in the debates and quiz which has to do with gender equality and issues related to gender equity, climate change, and ICT.
“We are impressed by the coordination and partnership from the private sector for discussing gender mainstreaming discourse.
“We have various trainings in schools where we are disseminating knowledge on gender mainstreaming, gender-based violence, and related to economic empowerment.
“The Ministry also challenges the young people to take up the initiatives being propelled by the government, including economic empowerment.
“These are some of the activities we are also rolling out at the ministry targeting youths in institutions of higher learning,” he said.
He also said there is a window of hope for the young students to start their own enterprises income income-generating activities, so that they can supplement their activities.
