Introducing Loveness Macinguata

My name is Loveness Machingauta. I am a lady aged 58 years old and a mother of two and six grandchildren.

Attained my ‘O’ level through supplementing and deferred a degree in law with the University of South Africa due to lack of funds.

Prior to coming to MOCT, I was with FACT Rusape, Simukai street program and Delta Beverages. While working for those organisations, I held different posts; prevention officer, OVC officer and sponsorship assistant.

I met Evans in 2017 when I came to stay at my husband’s home in Murewa. I had heard of the good work he was doing in the village. There was supplementary feeding for children at his homestead and payment of fees for some of them.

Since I had a passion for working with the vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, I approached him, but my message didn’t come across at that time.

Later he took notice and appraised him with the above background, we started a collaboration.

I was involved in documenting letters, asking for donations towards the supplementary feeding program and the responses were so amazing.

During the establishment of the Mangwende Center, I was called to be part of the people who weretrained in various disciplines. These included permaculture and agroforestry.

It was recently that I got involved full time with MOCT and I am going to do my best in seeing that Evans mission, vision and goal is achieved in the ward, district and whole nation.

I am currently working with nine girls at MOCT, with the intention of reaching a total of 20.

They are working collectively and were allocated a 50m by 50m plot in the MOCT area. The girls are expected to do the same in their homes.

We are planning to grow fruit trees, vegetables like; kale, cabbage, king onions, peas, carrots and other high value crops, where the girls will benefit from the produce and learn how to grow them.

Whilst working in the plot we discuss issues around their sexuality, also their livelihoods and how they are coping with life.

I am also doing Sexual Reproductive Health Rights with adolescents in six schools in the ward. Three primary and three secondary.

The activities in the schools are being implemented by the teachers who have been trained by MOCT.

For example the children are doing the human knot which encourages teamwork, critical thinking and confidence.

Another example is using bird feathers. This activity is used to look at the rights of an individual and how they are compromised, which is often leading to low self-esteem.

I have recently attended a stakeholders’ sensitization meeting, where the organization brings together people from different government ministries, community leaders and members to let them know about what MOCT is. They are given the background, mission, vision and goal of the organization. MOCT also gets to appraise them on the activities it will be implementing.