WELEAD-a youth leadership development and empowerment movement trained 40 youths on constitution literacy at Mutoko Centre over the weekend with participants deployed to distribute 400 constitution awareness fliers across the district.
The WELEAD Team, with the assistance of OSISA, are striving to eliminate youth constitution illiteracy in Zimbabwe.
The ‘We Know the Constitution’ campaign was developed after a series of publications and reports revealed that youth engagement with Constitution of Zimbabwe was generally low.
This meant that among the youths there is a general lack of awareness of one’s rights and responsibilities.
Young women in Mutoko said cultural beliefs made participation difficult, and that societal responsibilities remain a burden prohibiting them from engaging.
“Some of the participants testified that they had no idea that participation in all areas and receiving fair representation is a right guaranteed under Zimbabwe’s constitution, Section 20”, said Maybe Gave- a WELEADER.
The participants included young people from various denominations, and the majority of them said they were pleased to learn that a constitution is not a politically aligned text, but rather a living document that rules every individual in Zimbabwe.
The WELEAD Team educated young people the value of understanding the constitution, what it contains, and where they can obtain copies. Sections 20 and 7 received the most attention during the training.
“As young people, we demand simplified versions of the constitution; we recognize that other institutions or organizations have made efforts to translate the constitution, but there is still much work to be done”, said a participant who identified himself as Kuda.
The participants were excited to participate in the constitution session, and demonstrated enthusiasm by effectively disseminating information. There was however a call for more literature in indigenous languages for easier understanding.
