Four young learners in historic scientific inventi...

Four young learners in historic scientific inventions

Audrey Galawu

There are no restrictions on having a bright idea that can change communities and, with that, the world.

Zimbabwe Science Fair has been helping young students with life-changing knowledge which will empower them in their pursuit for science careers.

Blessings Ncube from Plumtree grew up living with her visually-impaired grandmother, watching her struggle and recognised the hurdles that people with such a disability face.

It became her dream to help her grandmother. Ncube built an Artificial Intelligence walking stick for her grandmother which she named the “keeper” for the visually-impaired.

In 2021, she was a finalist at the Zimbabwe Scientific (ZSF) Virtual Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). She won the Oracle Academy Award for her project.

In the Mbaimbai Village of Ngundu, a Grade Six learner, Locution Wonder, invented a special milling machine that uses solar energy.

His goal was to create a solution for people in his community who have to walk long distances to the nearest milling machines for their grains.

He has also built a wind turbine to provide electricity at his aunt’s home in Ngundu.

In 2019, he became the first Zimbabwean to be selected for the Broadcom Foundation Broadcom M.A.S.T.E.R.S International delegate in Phoenix Arizona, United States of America.

Driven by her passion for her community to easily access basic resources, Ruvarashe Moyo invented a water purification device that uses clay brick to remove biological contaminants in water, which include viruses and bacteria.

Moyo has been working on turning clay bricks into problem solving devices for the past two years.

In 2021, she worked on turning the brick into a device that can be charged by solar to provide electricity for her community.

In 2021, she was one of the two girls who became the first Africans to make it into the prestigious Science Internship Programme (SIP) at University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), United States of America (USA).

Zimbabwe Science Fair was founded by Knowledge Chikundi in 2020. Chikundi is also the Director of Africa Science Buskers Festival.