FAITH NDOU
ZAKA-With dust on his shoes and hope in his hands, Junior Member of Parliament for Zaka Central Delight Ndebele, is turning a message of awareness into action as he leads a school-to-school campaign advocating for improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities for learners.
Ndebele, a learner at Chinorumba High School has transformed this year’s Day of the African Child theme, “Ensuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Every Child in Africa,” into a practical movement aimed at addressing challenges affecting learners in Zaka District.
Through his initiative, the WASH-Action Club, Ndebele has created a platform bringing together 12 schools with three representatives from each institution, to promote awareness, encourage youth participation and develop solutions to WASH-related challenges.
The initiative was inspired by concerns over the daily struggles faced by learners particularly girls, who continue to experience difficulties accessing sanitary wear, clean water and proper hygiene facilities at schools.
Speaking to the Midweek Watch, Ndebele said many learners remain afraid to speak about challenges affecting them because they fear being ignored or judged.
“The lack of sanitary wear for girls, soap and water outside toilets, and the fear that learners have of being heard is a cause for concern,” he said.
He said the WASH-Action Club was also conducting fundraising activities to assist vulnerable learners by providing sanitary wear and handwashing equipment.
Beyond improving sanitation conditions, Ndebele has taken up the role of motivating fellow learners to discover their confidence and use their voices to influence positive change.
Through school visits, motivational speeches and engagements with students, he has encouraged young people to express themselves and participate in addressing challenges within their communities.
The campaign has already begun transforming lives, with learners who previously lacked confidence now using music, drama and art as tools to raise awareness on important issues.
“We are not aiming to achieve the impossible, we merely seek to question what impossible means. If we rise to face our challenges, impossible becomes a shadow of all the endless possible things,” Ndebele said.
“Since we are the youth, let us raise awareness through music, art and drama. But most importantly, let us give power to the voice. Because your voice and my voice is our future,” he added.
Ndebele believes young people in Zimbabwe possess the ideas and energy needed to shape the future if they are provided with opportunities to participate in development initiatives.
He also commended the government and local leaders for efforts aimed at empowering and protecting young people.
For the young legislator, the journey is not about recognition but about creating a lasting impact. From one school to another, he continues to prove that meaningful change does not always begin with a crowd, sometimes it begins with one person daring to believe that a better future is possible.
With every step, Ndebele carries a simple but powerful message: that when young voices are heard, communities can be transformed.
Dust on his shoes, hope in his hands.
