ZDDT Has Helped Us to Be Where We Are Today say Young at Heart Drama Group

Young At Heart (YAH), a local drama group which partnered with the Zimbabwe Development Democracy Trust (ZDDT), is involved in a behaviour change programme for the community at Bulawayo’s dumpsite, popularly known as Ngozi Mine.

ZDDT’s news correspondent, Mandla Tshuma (MT), recently spoke with YAH Public Relations Officer, Nanzile Nyathi (NN), who briefly chatted about their partnership with the trust as well as the community work in which they are involved.

Below are some of the excerpts from their conversation.

MT: A good morning to you ma’am. As we begin our brief talk, may you kindly introduce yourself.

NN: Good morning; thank you. Well, my name is Nanzile Nyathi. I am the Public Relations Officer for Young at Heart Foundation Trust.

MT: Thank you for that, Nanzile. Can you tell me what YAH is all about.

NN: At Young At Heart we believe in catching them young. Young At Heart deals with inculcating the youth and the elderly with discipline and self-reliance skills in combating juvenile delinquency as well as in alleviating the spread of HIV and AIDS through sport and arts activities.

MT: Can you briefly tell me about the community work that you are doing at Ngozi Mine.

NN: At Ngozi Mine we are imparting skills and we are also trying to help the community there with certain issues that they have, especially that one of identity.

I mean birth registration, national identity cards and so forth. Since there is also rampant gender-based violence, we also try to help the community come to peace.

MT: Can you tell me about your partnership with ZDDT in this programme.

NN: We have partnered with ZDDT at Ngozi Mine. They give us resources which enable us to go to Ngozi and impart Ngozi with skills. We also network with other organisations that help with puppetry expertise.

MT: What would you say you have benefited to date, from working with ZDDT in your programmes?

NN: ZDDT has actually helped us to be where we are today. It has given us confidence; it has boosted our self-esteem; it has made us to be able to stand up for our rights as enshrined in the constitution.

Angela Mason from ZDDT has actually been a mentor to us. She has given us this capacity building that you see in us, that we have in us. She has unveiled what’s in us that we had not realised.

MT: Where do you wish to see your partnership with ZDDT in the years to come?

NN: I think we would want this partnership that we have with ZDDT to last to infinite.

MT: Thank very much Nanzile for taking your time talking to me. Have a good day.

NN: You are welcome.