Saturday, 13th February, 2010 was a hive of activities on the calendar of My Home Town in that the organisation was humbled and honoured with a visit by the Minister of Education in the Government of the Republic of Zambia - Honourable Dora Siliya, M.P. who arrived, with her entrouge, at 13 hours in Choma and after her courtesy call to the office of the District Commissioner: Mr. Laiven Apuleni proceeded
to tour the MHT bottled water factory, the Rainbow Purified Water Company.
After the tour, the Honourable Minister, together with some members of My Home Town and others who had thronged the Factory premises to receive and welcome her, departed for Miyosi Guest House where Mr. and Mrs. Mutemwa were the hosts for that weekend's Fellowship. At the Fellowship Gathering, a multitude of members of My Home Town, invited Guests, Senior Government and Parastatal officials, including officials of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) were already seated, awaiting for the gracing of the occassion by the Honourable Minister.
The Patron, in welcoming the Honourable Minister to the Fellowship Gathering, in particular and to My Home Town, in general, gave an outline of the origins of the Organisation, its objectives and the works that it had accomplished, to-date! He also placed a passionate appeal to the Honourable Minister to mitigate to the Government, on behalf of the Organisation, as regards the exemption to My Home Town
in terms of payment of duty on imported goods that were brought into the Country with a view to assisting the less priveledged and needy members of our Communities! He also explained, in detail, the principle behind the concept of Fellowships that had been running since the commencement of the year and shall continue running until the end of the year. In conclusion, he thanked the Honourable Minister quite
sincerely for having spared time from her, no doubt, busy schedule to come to Choma and share with the Organisation various topics that hinged on Education, which was the onus of the Ministry that she was Honourable Minister.
The Honourable Minister, in delivering her key note address to the Fellowship, firstly, expressed her indebtness and her being humbled by the Organisation's invitation extended to her to come to Choma for the visit. She expressed her happiness with what she saw during her tour of the purified water plant and commended the investing Companies - i.e. the Chinese and African Union Financial Services based in the Republic of South Africa - under the auspices of My Home Town - for the US$1million investment. The Honorable Minister expressed her appreciation of the value addition in terms of investment to the town of Choma and also the creation of thirteen (13) jobs at the factory and added that she was optimistic that more jobs shall be created as the factory expanded.
The Honourable Minister informed the Fellowship gathering that her main theme of address was to hinge on the importance of education to the children of the Communities, as enshrined in the ideals of My Home Town, in particular and also as is of necessity to the children of the population of the Republic of Zambia, in general. She stated that it was of importance that all parents felt the importance of assisting their children to receive education as it was the best investment that parents could curve for their children. She shared with the Gathering the views of Mr. Nelson Mandela, who said, that, "it was through education that a child of a Domestic Servant, can one day in the future become a Medical Doctor, a child of a Miner can one day become a Mine Captain."
The Honourable Minister commended My Home Town for the great strides that it had so far made in sponsoring a very good number of children of its members to institutions of learning within and outside the Country and she re-emphasised that there was no better way of empowerment other than through education. She implored the Organisation to keep it up!
Expounding, further, the many benefits of education, she lauded the aspect of positive character building and also instilling of confidence in school children as some of the huge benefits that learned children reaped in the long run.
In talking about the need and importance for all parents/children to have dreams in life, dreams which they wished to turn into reality, she recounted to the Fellowship gathering how, four years earlier, she had a discussion with our dear MHT1 in which he shared with her
his dream of the establishment of the Organisation - My Home Town and to her amazement and delight this has come to be a reality. She said she was even more happier that she had the priviledge and honour of coming into contact with the Organisation and sharing with its members, that afternoon, on the subject that was very dear to her heart - EDUCATION.
She implored all the members of the Organisation to take a leaf from the man that initiated the concept of My Home Town, Mr. James Ndambo, so that each member can establish and do equally positive things for their "Home Towns." She assured the Fellowship gathering that on her part she had caught the spirit of the concept and she was going to endeavour to have the Organisation assist her esblishlish a Chapter of itself in her "Home Town, Petauke,", without further delay. She also indicated her willingness and readiness to subscribe to My Home Town as a member as soon as possible!
At the end of her key note speech, the Honourable Minister was given a standing ovation by the gathering! Mr. Rocky Sombe - Fellowships Team Leader - moved a vote of thanks to the key note speech of the Honourable Minister in which he expressed the immense thanks and gratitude of My Home Town to her, for having spared time from her busy schedule to come and visit the Organisation's Rainbow Purified Water Company as well as grace the Fellowship Gathering of that particular weekend!
The Honourable Minister, before taking leave at 1745 hours, went around and shook hands with every person that was present at the function, to the appreciation of all!
Photographs that tell the rest of the story of the Honourable Minister's visit to My Home Town - Choma are available at the MHT Website
Regards,
Alfred Masupha.
MHT Patron.
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