A prominent Glendale-based traditional healer, Sekuru Nyangatayani, born Peter Chingudzi, on Tuesday donated school fees and stationery worth thousands of dollars to underprivileged and differently-abled learners at Glengrey Primary School in Glendale.
The donation, which also included stationery for teachers, is part of Sekuru Nyangatayani’s ongoing commitment to giving back to the community, with a particular focus on disadvantaged learners.
“This is just the beginning. We will be covering school fees and providing stationery for three terms throughout the year, especially for differently-abled and other underprivileged learners,” said Nyangatayani.
“As a traditional healer, it is our duty to contribute to the well-being of our community, and education is key to unlocking the potential of our children.”
Glengrey Primary School headmaster, Rufasi Kondo, welcomed the gesture, saying it had helped narrow the marginalisation gap between rural and urban learners.
“This donation has empowered rural and farming communities, where most parents are poor farm workers who struggle to pay school fees,” said Kondo.
“It has gone a long way in bridging the gap between the rural poor and their urban counterparts.”
Kondo also expressed appreciation for the support extended to teachers, who received items such as chalk, exercise books and ballpoint pens, noting that the donation would ease their work in line with expectations from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
School development committee chairperson, Wilbert Chaurika, praised the initiative, saying it demonstrated the positive role traditional healers can play in community development.
“This gesture shows that traditional healers also contribute towards the revival and preservation of culture,” said Chaurika.
“It is a clear testimony that moral and ethical decency exists among community leaders.”
He added that there is a strong link between sustainable education and cultural preservation through the embrace of a heritage-based education curriculum.
A teacher at the school, Silvia Kaputa, also expressed her gratitude, highlighting the challenges faced by many learners.
“We have had learners who spend an entire term without adequate learning resources due to poverty and economic hardships,” she said. “This donation is a huge relief.”
The donation has brought renewed hope and joy to both learners and teachers, and stands as an inspiration to others to support education and community development initiatives.