Woman making a difference among Emganwini youths
Providence Moyo
Despite watching her dream crushed by the advent of Covid-19 in 2020, Gogo Phiri is soldiering on and continues to help young people who are trying to change their lives for the better.
Gogo Phiri, a 59 year old woman has taken it upon herself to help Emganwini youths, especially those hooked on drugs, to reform. She has turned her house into a rehabilitation and training centre for youths without charging them for services.
She imparts youths with life skills that include sewing and knitting, producing work suits and sandals.
Gogo Phiri said even though she suffered pain at having to grudgingly close the initiative that was making remarkable progress at the height of Covid-19, her inclination towards helping young people never died, if anything she says the desire grew.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic our efforts to revive and redirect youths came to a standstill because gathering was prohibited as mitigation against the deadly pandemic. It was no longer possible to meet physically and this setback led to the relapse of several youths,” she said.
Phiri believes that before the advent of Covid-19, she and her team made up of youths who include Kundai Shamuyarira, were making huge progress in imparting life skills and knowledge to other youths.
The lifting of Covid-19 restrictions has opened up the floodgates for Gogo and her enthusiastic team who are now operating at full tilt. Their only regret is that some of the youths who were under their tutelage before the pandemic struck did not return to continue with learning after the lockdown.
She is calling for more social clubs that target youth to keep young people busy to avoid social ills such as drug abuse, unwanted pregnancy and thieving.
“In this drug abuse pandemic, having more social clubs could help curb use of drugs as youths would be kept busy learning vital life skills that they can use to impact their lives positively. The practical lessons we give them will set them up to start their own businesses rather than searching for elusive employment,” she said.
