KING George VI school, a center for children who are differently abled, in Bulawayo has become the fifth school in Zimbabwe to integrate sustainable environmental management projects for food security and income generation.
The projects consist of agro-based, aquaculture activities and waste management projects for better livelihoods implemented through support from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Forestry Commission, Allied Timbers, and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks).
KGVI is the fifth school to benefit from this programme after Bulu Secondary School in Ingwizi, Matabeleland South; Chidembo High School in Shamva, Mashonaland Central; Mutendi High School in Masvingo, and Umzururu Primary in Mashonaland West.
These projects are part of the integrated school projects, an initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Tourism, and Hospitality, which First lady, Auxilia Mnangagwa officially launched at KGVI Wednesday.
The first lady is also the country’s environmental patron.
Addressing delegates, teachers, and learners from other schools who had gathered for the launch on Wednesday, Mnangagwa said the main aim is to promote environmental sustainability across all sectors of life by relying on natural resources
“These resources are the natural capital God gave us for livelihood options. Zimbabwe is a member of various multilateral environmental agreements which are meant to promote a unified approach in dealing with the myriad of environmental challenges facing the world,” she said.
“As a country, we have to recognise the indispensable value of environment in promoting economic turnaround particularly under this new dispensation era where we are profiling our country for international engagement,” she said.
The first lady said it was time to work towards in attaining a clean safe and healthy environment teaching children and the youth through practicing with them the right actions for sustainability.
“As we toured the school, we saw that there is clean water, fish ponds for aquaculture, an orchard as well as mechanisms to prevent pollution through the waste collection for recycling. Such an integrated approach makes sure there is access to clean water from the borehole, food security, and nutrition from aquaculture, orchard while the botanical garden ensures cleanliness at the school,” Mnangagwa said.
The first lady highlighted what KGVI had done was a national aspiration to have every school in Zimbabwe equipped with these facilities, not only for educational purposes but as a source for food and income for the school and communities around.
KGVI school head, Perseverance Hadebe, thanked the government and environmental partners for launching Bulawayo’s first initiative at the center.
She added that the first lady through her angel of Hope Foundation donated six bags of 50kg of rice, five bags of 20kg of sugar and five bottles of nine liters of cooking oil.
Meanwhile, the Forestry Commission donated six mango trees, 10 avocado trees, eight guava trees, six lemon tree, and three ornamental trees called the Delonix regia to KGVI.
ZimParks donated 2400 fingerlings, for the school’s fishpond which measures 10m x 5m.
EMA donated signage: one billboard with an antilitter message for the KGVI entrance, one billboard for waste sorting, three signposts against zero tolerance to litter and installed four drum bins plus 13 colour coded mobile plastic bins.
