Chinese community awards drawing competition winne...

Chinese community awards drawing competition winners fees vouchers

The Chinese Embassy in partnership with China-Zimbabwe Exchange Centre yesterday awarded several primary and secondary school learners with tuition vouchers covering one to three terms.

“I am so happy to have won this competition and it has opened my eyes to how art can be portrayed in different aspects. It has given me the inspiration to do more, said Kim Nyamakawo of Queen Elizabeth Girls’ High School who was a first prize winner.

The fees and stationery beneficiaries were top of the best 100 students in the “China In My Eyes” drawing competition with the rest getting stationery prizes.

A total of 350 learners participated in the challenge to present what China means to them visually.

“This has come at a time when schools and learners need support,” said Mrs Caroline Sigauke of Marimba Park Primary School in a speech at the awards ceremony. Mrs Sigauke said the competition has also created a talent identification platform with some of the winners clearly having potential to pursue drawing based careers. These include design in various fields and architecture.

Participants came from two high schools; Queen Elizabeth and TC Hardy High as well as five council primary schools; Glen View 7, Sunningdale 3, Kuwadzana 3, Marimba, and Warren park 6. The school heads present received stationery on behalf of their institutions.

Six category first prize winners got fees vouchers for three terms. 10 runners up will have their fees paid for two terms while 19 third placed recipients will get fees for a term. All the fees will be paid directly to the schools.

In her address at the ceremony, wife to the Ambassador, Counselor Wang Wei said that China is working hard to ensure that lives of ordinary Zimbabweans change for the better because of the friendship between the two countries.

Counselor Wang Wei with some of the winners

“As a true friend of Zimbabwe, China puts Zimbabwe and its people at heart and has consistently supported Zimbabwe to promote its country’s development and people’s livelihood.

“For instance, the 1000 Borehole Drilling Project which is giving local people easy access to safe water, the expansion of power stations which will increase supply of electricity in Zimbabwe and the National Pharmaceutical Warehouse in which medicine will be stored in and managed under much better conditions.”

China-Zimbabwe Exchange Centre deputy general manager Mr Donald Rushambwa said the organisation is a people to people bridging platform that works with Chinese businesses in Zimbabwe that want to impact on the communities in which they operate.

“We are working with the embassy on people to people programmes whose beneficiaries are ordinary Zimbabweans in different parts of the country,” Mr Rushambwa told Zim Now on the side-lines of the awards ceremony.

In addition to its basic education scholarships initiative, the Centre also has partnerships with five state universities where talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds are being assisted with fees. These are University of Zimbabwe, Midlands State University, Lupane State University, National University of Science and Technology and Bindura State University.

City of Harare Head Education and Social Services Mrs Lizzie Muchena who was present at the ceremony said the city welcomes Chinese community investment in education which is helping ensure that more disadvantaged children access better quality schooling.