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Byo man wins coveted Holman Prize

Robert Malunda, the founder of Gateway to Elation, an organisation that trains the visually impaired and the deaf, has won the Holman Prize for Blind Ambition prize.

Malunda (33) is the first Zimbabwean to bag the prize and he won alongside two other contestants from the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

The Holman Prize awards up to $25,000 each to three blind people with ambitious ideas that will challenge misconceptions about blindness worldwide.

It is named after James Holman, a 19th-century blind explorer who was the most prolific private traveller of anyone, blind or sighted, before the era of modern transportation.

In an interview with CITE, Malunda said he will use the prize money to provide computer, orientation and mobility and social skills training to blind people both in urban and rural locations.

Malunda says he found out about the competition via online platforms where he was looking for grants to assist in funding his organisation.

The Holman Prize was designed to support the growth of adventurous spirits, entrepreneurship and leadership within the blind community, in any form it may present itself.

From personal-growth goals like climbing mountains or travelling the world independently, to providing education and training to underprivileged blind individuals.

The goal for our applicants and winners is not just to push boundaries and live life outside of the “blind box” but to eliminate the box altogether.

Tanaka Mrewa

Tanaka Mrewa is a journalist based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with eight years of experience in the media industry. Her expertise extends to crafting hard news, features, and investigative stories, with a primary focus on politics, elections, human rights, climate change, gender issues, service delivery, corruption, and health. In addition to her writing skills, she is proficient in video filming and editing, enabling her to create documentaries. Tanaka is also involved in fact-check story production and podcasting.

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