Community & Business
14 December, 2023
Local Pharmacist Opens Classroom Block in Zimbabwe
As a child in rural Zimbabwe Emmanuel Pasura and his siblings walked 22 kilometres to and from school every day, encouraged by their mother Rosa who saw the value in education.
Now a pharmacist in Australia, and currently working as a locum in Henley’s Pharmacy in Nyngan, Mr Pasura has funded the building of a school block in his home village of Madudzo, which he hopes will make education easier to access.
“We walked 22km to school every day because there wasn’t a school in our village,” he said. “My mother would make sure her children attended school and would even ask for loans from relatives to pay our tuition. She died in 2015 and I wanted to do this in her memory because she was so passionate about education, and she facilitated the building of the school by the local
council.”
“She was selected as the school’s first chairperson; bearing testimony to how much she valued education and development in her community.”
Mr Pasura has just returned from Zimbabwe where he officially opened the block at Madudzo Primary School in Ward 24, Hurungwe, Mashonaland West at a ceremony attended by hundreds of guests.
The building named the ‘Rosa Pasura Block’ features a commemorative plaque and houses two classrooms and offices.
I want to encourage pupils here to remain focused, it doesn’t matter that you learnt at a rural school like Madudzo, you can still uplift your community and achieve your dream,” Mr Pasura said.
Mr Pasura trained as a pharmacist in Zimbabwe before moving to Melbourne to study honours. He has a brother in Melbourne who is a university lecturer and another doing similar in Glasgow, Scotland.
He spent some time as the pharmacist in Mallacoota in coastal Victoria and gained recognition for helping that community during the bushfires in 2020. For the past year he has been the locum pharmacist in Nyngan, which said was a thriving metropolis compared with Madudzo, a small farming village.
The building of the classroom block in Zimbabwe was the second project in his homeland. He initially started a memorial scholarship fund for girls in memory of his mother, but decided the physical classroom block was the best way to benefit all children.
The classroom block was completed in 2021 but Mr Pasura was unable to Zimbabwe to see it because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opening last month was attended by many local dignitaries as well as members of Mr Pasura’s family.
His father Anos gave a speech at the opening.
“I am so happy my son worked on this project for our community and I am glad our relatives are here to witness this ceremony. I encouraged Emmamuel to work on this project and now we are here celebrating its completion. I want to encourage other families in the community to give back and develop our area,” Mr Pasura senior said.
Among the other guests attending the colourful ceremony were Hurungwe West legislator Chinjai Kambuzuma, ward 24 councillor, Hurungwe District and local village heads who applauded Mr Pasura for the building saying it will go a long way in assisting the school.
MP Chinjai Kambuzuma thanked Mr Pasura for giving back to the community.
“I want to thank the Pasura family for this block, they could have built a hotel but instead they chose to build this classroom block for a school that none of their relatives attend, that says a lot about their good character.
“Unfortunately, Gogo Rosa is no longer with us but I know this ceremony has made her happy,” said legislator Kambuzuma.