First Mutual Foundation Celebrates 10th Anniversary

 

TANATSWA KANDENGA

 

First Mutual Foundation marked its 10th anniversary with a significant announcement that underscores its commitment to education and the empowerment of Zimbabwe’s youth.

Since its establishment in 2014, the First Mutual Foundation, administered by Bantwana Zimbabwe, has been a beacon of hope for vulnerable children, facilitating their academic journeys from primary school through to tertiary education.

Over the past decade, the Foundation has transformed the lives of nearly 1,000 students, providing the necessary resources and support to ensure their academic success including tuition, uniforms, stationery, accommodation, food, and upkeep allowances for tertiary students.

The scholarship has notably improved attendance, retention, and transition rates across all educational levels, with many beneficiaries excelling in competitive fields including but not limited to Actuarial Science, Data Science, and Computer Engineering.

The event brought together representatives from key state universities across the country to celebrate the foundation’s achievements in providing almost a thousand education scholarships and its moves to expand its scholarship program.

“When we think of children, we think of potential and it is our ideal that that potential must be nurtured.  Students from a disadvantaged position must get the opportunity to compete on similar terms with others. This also helps the nation to not miss out on the human capital potential of these students” Douglas Hoto, the First Mutual Holdings Limited Group CEO.

He added: “We would like to say that our relationship of 10 years with Bantwana Zimbabwe is still young. We would like it to go for twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years and then tend to infinity. We are very pleased that we have reached this milestone of 10 years. We have not relented on our efforts to work with Bantwana Zimbabwe and to work for the education of children and young people.

“As First Mutual, we are running one of the most successful training programs for underwriters, actuarial scientists, chartered accountants, chartered financial analysts and others. Indeed, we have found out that most of our graduate trainees have excelled here and elsewhere in the world. I’m glad to say when you look at Zimbabwe today and various things happening, it is a clear testimony of an education which is at its best, which is looking at what we can do with  what we have.”

First Mutual Foundation also announced the expansion of its scholarship programme to include five more state-owned universities. This expansion will provide three scholarships per selected university, benefiting a total of 15 additional students for the 4-year academic cycle. The universities included in this expansion are University of Zimbabwe, Chinhoyi University of Technology, National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Midlands State University (MSU) and Bindura University of Science Education.  This initiative is a testament to the Foundation’s dedication to nurturing future leaders and providing greater opportunities for academic excellence and professional growth.

“As First Mutual, we are  committed to nurturing the talent and potential of Zimbabwe’s future leaders. We are putting our group’s mantra ‘Go Beyond’ into practice, and further emphasising our objective of transforming lives, opening doors and igniting dreams, “ said Farayi Mangwende, First Mutual Holdings Limited Group Marketing & Strategy Executive.

Education remains a key to unlocking a brighter future for Zimbabwe’s youth and the nation at large. Through this expanded scholarship programme, First Mutual Foundation reaffirms its commitment to making quality education accessible to those who need it most, she added.

Mbonisi Tshuma, the Executive Director for Bantwana Zimbabwe, the administrators of the First Mutual Foundation said: “Our relationship with First Mutual started in 2014 to support the reintegration to formal school, of children who had dropped out of school due to economic hardships and social ills. About 10 years later we are proud to enable over 1,000 children and young people to access education and excel. We have supported 10 tertiary students in our local universities. About seven of these students have graduated with distinctions and six are yet to complete their degrees”, he said.

 

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