Coca-Cola Women’s LINC Commissions solarised boreh...

Coca-Cola Women’s LINC Commissions solarised borehole to Cheuchi Primary School

Zim Now Writer

Coca-Cola’s Women’s LINC Zimbabwe Chapter today officially handed over a solarised borehole and 8 333 exercise books to Cheuchi Primary School, a satellite-rural school in the Makonde District of Mashonaland West Province.

Speaking at the commissioning event, Coca-Cola Women’s LINC Zimbabwe Chapter Immediate Past President, and General Manager, Corporate Affairs at Delta Corporation Limited, Patricia Murambinda, said: “The commissioning of the solarised borehole is a fulfilment of a pledge that we made in 2021 when we came to commission a fully furnished classroom block at the school at a time when the school had no learning blocks for the students. We realised the school needed more than a place to house their students, as pupils were learning under mud and grass thatched classrooms.”

The Women’s LINC is a network of women employed in the Coca-Cola system that is focused on engaging, inspiring, and developing them to drive total business performance, and establish a strong reputation as a great place to work for women.

The initiative, which draws its membership from The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Beverages and Schweppes Zimbabwe Limited, is targeted at empowering women so that they can also empower others and influence their environments.

“The Coca-Cola Women’s LINC's commitment goes beyond pledges and promises tangible results. We pledged to drill a borehole and donate exercise books for pupils at Cheuchi and we have delivered that with funds raised and sourced by our women,” added Murambinda.

The Cheuchi project started in 2016 during a visit by Coca-Cola Women’s LINC to donate foodstuffs to the school to complement the government’s schools feeding scheme, a visit which saw LINC observing that the children at the satellite school were learning under pole-dagga and grass-thatched makeshift classrooms, a situation that affected their learning.

In 2018, LINC donated $10 000 cash and 10 000 bricks towards the construction of a classroom block for the learners, who at the time numbered about 100. The enrolment has since grown to 325.

Touched by the plight of the Cheuchi learners, the Women’s LINC adopted the school, pledged to buy exercise books, and build a proper classroom block as part of the group’s community social responsibility programme with the fully furnished classroom block being constructed and handed over in May 2021.

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, offering over 500 brands to people in more than 200 countries.

One of the key focus areas for the Coca-Cola Company is about making positive contributions to the world.

The global beverages firm, which together with its bottling partners employ over 700 000 people worldwide, is continuously working to reduce its environmental impact, creating rewarding careers for its associates, and bringing economic opportunity wherever it operates.