WELEAD Team trains 42 volunteers in Katanga, Norton

Zimbabwe: The WELEAD Team was in Katanga, Norton, on Wednesday 9 June 2022 on a Constitution Awareness with the support of OSISA, and 372 of 400 youths interviewed claimed to know nothing about Zimbabwe's constitution.

The WELEAD Team trained 42 volunteers who were later deployed into Katanga's streets to conduct interviews and distribute 400 fliers and photocopied pages of Zimbabwe's constitution.

The majority of Norton's young people have never heard the term "constitution." Only 28 of the 42 trained volunteers completed the pre-evaluation form, and 26 rated their knowledge on a scale of 0 to 4 on a scale of 10.

Following the training, young people had numerous questions about Zimbabwe's constitution.

Constitutional awareness is needed in Zimbabwe because most of the young people attending the workshops are unaware of Section 20, which speaks to Zimbabwean youth about their rights.

"This is my first encounter with a group teaching about the constitution; when I came here, I knew nothing about it; now I can go out there and tell others about this living document," Tatenda Goteka said.

This training has provided me with invaluable information, and I am now motivated to participate in all aspects of life; previously, I was one of those who never participated, she added.

“Today, I learned about Zimbabwe's constitution, and I am grateful that I was part of the team that disseminated information about Zimbabwe's constitution,” said Nyasha Chenga, one of the volunteers.

"I now know that I have the right to vote and to participate in social, economic, and political spaces," Lyrator Furidzai said.

The WELEAD team is working with OSISA to address the youth constitution illiteracy gap, which was identified by a number of local organisations in 2018. The covid-19 pandemic has widened the gap.