A BULAWAYO woman, Ms Thando Gwinji (33), was among the 16 outstanding youths who were honoured by President Mnangagwa during the National Youth Day celebrations in Lupane after she emerged a winner in the ICT, Innovation and Advocacy category under the National Youth Awards.
Ms Gwinji who is the founder and managing director of Youth Innovation Trust, created four mobile applications addressing access to information for rural girls.
For her efforts, Ms Gwinji of Nkulumane suburb got a certificate and US$1 000. She was nominated in Bulawayo in the ICT sector to form a pool of 20 nominees in each identified sector.
Other winners from the Matabeleland region include Ms Nobukhosi Nyoni, a runner-up in the mining, energy and infrastructure category, Mr Kudakwashe Garaipasi who won in the environment and tourism category while Ms Lisa Chitura was the runner-up. Ms Siqinisweyinkosi Mhlanga won in the entrepreneurship and financial services category
Through Youth for Innovation Trust, Ms Gwinji raises awareness on issues around gender-based violence, and promotes youth development through innovation.
“I won the award based on my work of ensuring youth participate in all national processes, be it socially, politically or economically. Politically, we assist youths by enhancing their participation in national processes and encouraging them to register to vote as well as attend parliamentary hearings,” she said.
“We also have social accountability conversations that we do on YouTube where we bring young people together with their political leaders to discuss a number of issues. Economically, by virtue of giving them technological skills, it puts them at an advantage because the world revolves around ICT.”
Ms Gwinji established the organisation in 2016 and she has so far managed to assist several girls in the country in terms of ICT skills.
She said she uses technology and art as an innovative way of ensuring youth participation.
“We try to make sure that we do things differently, and I have been working with the youths in my organisation for eight years. I am in the ICT sector and advocacy, so I have been spreading skills to key populations in Bulawayo and rural girls,” said Ms Gwinji.
“I have helped most girls in different parts of Zimbabwe and have covered all the parts of Matabeleland such Nkayi, Tsholotsho, Gwanda, Matopo and Umzingwane districts among others. We work with the youths and help them with digital skills.”
Ms Gwinji said several girls have benefited from her organisation, particularly during the height of the Covid-19-induced lockdown.
“I realised that children are not going to school and most girls in the rural areas are disadvantaged because they don’t have access to the internet and lack technological skills. So during the lockdown, I helped out most girls in the rural areas and they acquired knowledge on how to join classes and learn online and it assisted them to a greater extent because they did not know how to do online learning,” she said.
Ms Gwinji said through her programmes, a number of girls in rural areas joined global technological competitions such as Technovation Girls.
“I started the organisation because I realised that there is a need in our communities to elevate the girl child so that they have equal access to opportunities just like their male counterparts. I also have a team that I work with to assist the girls,” she said.
“My vision is to bring change in rural areas because most rural areas lack the technology and internet access, especially in schools.” – The Chronicle
