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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
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By Calvin Manika
Sino-Hydro Limited Company, a subsidiary of the Chinese Government-owned Power Company extended its corporate social responsibility to Neshaya Secondary school in Hwange by donating full furniture worth thousands of dollars.
Sino-Hydro is one of the biggest Chinese companies operating in Zimbabwe, which its operations at the Hwange Power station stages 7 and 8 expansion project, a country’s multi-million flagship project.
The Sino Zimbabwe relationship which dates back to the 1970s seems to be going strong at a time when the country is facing many challenges on the economy and the political front from its erstwhile masters.
The Chinese company donated 500 pairs of furniture units comprising a chair and desk each.
Speaking at the handover/takeover ceremony, Engineer Forbes Chanakira, the Project Manager of the Hwange Expansion Project reiterated the importance of the relationship between China and Zimbabwe and Sino Hydro Corporation corporate social responsibility.
“The donation is being done by Sino Hydro Corporation Limited of China. Hwange continues to benefit under the generosity of our contractor, as we continue to engage the Hwange community through corporate social responsibility. It is important to make sure that the quality of education given to learners is top-notch. The future of Zimbabwe rests on the youths. And we believe that this donation will go a long way to help them,” said Chanakira.
Neshaya Secondary School is located in rural Hwange with a current enrollment of 531 students and a staff of 17 teachers.
Acknowledging the donation Walter Moyo, Hwange District Education Inspector expressed gratitude to Sino Hydro Corporation Limited for their gesture at a time the school was failing to cope with the Covid -19 Standard Operating Procedures provided by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to curtail Covid-19.
“Neshaya Secondary School was struggling under the effects of Covid-19 since March 2020. The schools need to decongest their classrooms and doing this called for more adequate infrastructure, more desks, and more chairs for learners. Sino Hydro Corporation came in handy with this donation of 500 chairs and desk. The secretary’s circular number 10 of 2020 states that schools should ensure there is no sharing of equipment. Once this has been addressed, social /physical distancing in the classroom of at least one metre as stated in the standard operating procedures will be easy to achieve,” said Moyo.
Currently, China is the major international supporter of Zimbabwe, with the former having invested in mining, manufacturing and other essential pillars of the economy.
Zimbabwe’s “Look East” policy, aims to expand bilateral and trade relations and offer priority to investors from countries in the east including China.
China has become the biggest buyer of Zimbabwean tobacco, purchasing over 13,000 tonnes of tobacco between January and October 2007. The trade between the two countries cut across all sectors of the economy.
Zimbabwe has since been added to China’s official list of approved tourism destinations, which aims to expand the number of Chinese tourists who visit Zimbabwe annually. In 2015, China accounted for the largest share of foreign direct investment into Zimbabwe by far (74%).
From 200 there are more than 150 Chinese official development finance projects identified in Zimbabwe. These projects range from a loan of US$670 million to expand a hydroelectric dam on Lake Kariba, to a US$500 million deal to finance Zimbabwe’s local cotton production and currently the expansion project of the Hwange Power Station. In 2016 the PRC forgave US$40 million in debt.
The donation to Neshaya Secondary school comes after 11 years since 2010 when the Chinese government announced plans to award scholarships to 32 students from Zimbabwe to study in China per annum.
The scholarship program was announced by the then Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Xin Shunkang. But, since then many students have been seen off to study in various disciplines in China.