Mnangagwa's wife honoured in UK, lifts global award

ANGEL of Hope Foundation patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa was yesterday presented with the 2023 Global Education Leadership Award by Cambridge International Education Conference and a shield by another university in recognition of her outstanding contribution to education, women and the girl child empowerment.

The award was presented to her by the Lady Mayor of Cambridge Jenny Gawthrope Wood.

At the ceremony, guests watched a video showing the First Lady's tireless efforts to empower womenfolk and the youths.

Jesus College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge also presented her with a shield honouring her for her philanthropic work.

The award comes at a time when the First Lady has previously been honoured with a doctorate degree by GD Goenka University of India, a Doctorate in Development Studies by Zimbabwe Open University, a gold medal in recognition of her contribution to the education sector from Vernadsky Crimean Federal University and a doctorate degree by Russian State University for Humanities in recognition of her work in transforming the lives of people in Zimbabwe.

The Lady Mayor of Cambridge said she was touched by the First Lady's efforts to make a huge difference in the life of vulnerable members of society.

"I am very pleased to be here and to meet the First Lady of Zimbabwe Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa. I am really pleased to hear of her works and the video we watched today of her charity work with Angel of Hope Foundation, really left me fighting back tears.

"I am also really interested in supporting women and girls. I am so pleased with the work that she has done of a philanthropic nature but also her hard work in Zimbabwe. Supporting women and girls by economically empowering them so that they own businesses, sustainable agriculture is also good music to my ears and I am hoping that she will be able to visit us again. The First Lady really deserved this award," she said.

In her acceptance speech, the mother of the nation said she was deeply humbled by the gesture and would continue with her life-changing philanthropic work.

"I receive and accept this honour with deep gratitude. I could not have imagined that one day I would be standing on these hallowed grounds of academic prowess accepting such recognition. This award is significant and will forever be treasured, not only by me, but the nation of Zimbabwe as a whole."

"This award sends a powerful message of collaboration for the greater good. I am so glad that you have taken note of the value and contribution of my work under my tenure as First Lady of the republic of Zimbabwe and through the foundation I founded, Angel of Hope, in creating a better place for the disadvantaged and vulnerable communities," she said.

The award, Dr Mnangagwa said, symbolises the power of partnership and the strength of solidarity.

"Never in our lifetime have the principles of partnership and collaboration, of compassion and kindness and equality and humility been so critical to human endeavour and it is imperative for men and women around the world to come together and confront the common challenges of poverty, illiteracy, hunger, disease and climate change, challenges which every part of the globe is grappling with.

"Together we have the power to make people see that everyone can be their neighbour's keeper, making a difference for the good of our planet," she said.

The mother of the nation also spoke about her philanthropy which has become synonymous with her.

"Philanthropy to me is a passion and I do not do it out of compulsion of my duties as First Lady, but rather I regard it as part of my nature.

"Long before I even dreamt of becoming First Lady I was in the rural areas working with women to create income generating projects for their empowerment. As a result, women of all ages improved their standards of living and their families benefited.

"When I was still a Member of Parliament, I initiated the first ever women's bank and now we have the Zimbabwe Women's Microfinance Bank which aims at promoting women through access to funds and machinery to kick start their proposed businesses.

"I do all this because to me success is not measured by the amount of exploits for personal gain we would have gathered but the number of lives I have touched and leaving the legacy of good deeds and good lives and you may realise that the proper gage of accomplishment is not how much we have closed the distance to some far off goal, but the quality and value of what we have done today.

"Thank you for giving me this honour, for acknowledging me in such a deep and meaningful way. This is now internally engraved in my being. Allow me to re-register my gratitude and thank you very much," she said with a broad smile.

Zimbabwe's Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Colonel Christian Katsande (Retired) commended the mother of the nation for her outstanding efforts.

"We want to thank you very much Your Excellency for continuing to inspire and working harder. It is clear that your outstanding philanthropic work through the foundation, the Angel of Hope is being recognised not only at a national and regional level but at a global level," he said.

Dr Amina Wakefield the founder and chief executive of Cambridge Worldwide Academy, vice chair of Technical Vocational Education and Training UK, applauded the First Lady for her push to see the girl child in school.

She also spoke against child marriages and shared a bit about her life and that her family did not see value in educating the girls before the laws of the country worked in her favour by making it compulsory for girls to go to school.

Mr Odiase Osareme Nathan president of the African Society at the University of Cambridge, a dynamic and diverse community dedicated to promoting African intellectiualism culture and values among students and the broader community, thanked the First Lady for her efforts in moulding the youths so that they grow to be morally upright, respecting African culture.