WELEAD Trust trains 30 young people in constitutional literacy

ZIMBABWE: WELEAD Trust team trained 30 young people in Epworth, Harare, on constitutional literacy as part of the 'We Know the Constitution Campaign’ on Wednesday 18 May 2022.

The engagement was intended to educate and inform young people about Zimbabwe's constitution, after it was discovered through a number of studies that youth participation is generally low in all spheres of life, particularly in economic and political circles.

According to YETT (Youth Empowerment Transformation Trust), "none of the youths with no formal education had knowledge of the constitution" in 2019.

WELEAD Trust emphasised the importance of closing that gap as the country prepares for elections.

It is critical for young people to understand their rights and the consequences of failing to exercise those rights.

Munyaradzi Mhembere, 27, of Epworth, Harare, was the only young person among 30 participants who demonstrated knowledge of Zimbabwe's constitution.

"I now know my responsibilities as a young Zimbabwean citizen," he added.

After the event, young people in Epworth pledged to spread the gospel of the constitution and expressed interest in participating.

According to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), young people make up 67.7 per cent of Zimbabwe's population.

This highlights the importance of educating and informing young people in Zimbabwe about their constitution, as well as eradicating constitution illiteracy.

Following the training, four young people were interviewed about their key takeaways.

"I used to associate the flag on the constitution with politics, so I had no interest," Ronald Maravanyika said.

"However, after the training provided by WELEAD Trust, I now understand that the book contains our rights as young people."

"Knowing the constitution is essential to avoiding certain abuses," he added.

Chipo Rukondo stated that she was unaware of Section 20 and other important rights such as the right to water.

"It's our culture in Epworth to be afraid of cops, but I just wanted to point out that we all have equal rights," she added.

"I have learned that the constitution is a living document that contains the supreme law of the land," Mercy Ngapazare said.

Brighton T. Mazanhi expressed gratitude to the WELEAD team for educating him about the constitution because he previously associated people who read the constitution with traitors.