Food giant Nestl Zimbabwe in association with the National Association of Primary School Heads (Naph) yesterday unveiled a three-year partnership towards the implementation of a grassroots development programme dubbed the Nestl Healthy Kids Athletics and Physical Education Programme.
Nestl Zimbabwe also unveiled a sponsorship package of $80 000 towards the partnership which will be reviewed annually.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by representatives from Naph, who are the custodian of all sporting activities in primary schools in Zimbabwe.
Nestl Zimbabwe country manager Kumbirai Katsande also attended the event while Paul Damasane, principal director for Arts and Culture in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, was the guest of honour.
Naph president Philip Rudanda praised the sponsorship package and said it was the first of its kind in Zimbabwe.
The partnership and the sponsorship package will benefit over 5 300 primary schools countrywide. All along physical education in primary schools was not sponsored since time immemorial thereby placing a heavy burden on the childrens parents and the schools development associations.
This sponsorship package is a welcome development and we encourage other corporate firms to follow what Nestl have done, said Rudanda.
The programme will be open for participation from all 5500 primary schools in Zimbabwe under Naph.
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The activities will start at school level and winners will progressively compete at the cluster district and then provincial levels before culminating to national competitions which will be held at the National Sports Stadium.
The Nestl Healthy Kids programme encourages school children to participate in athletics and educates them about sport and a healthy lifestyle as well as supporting the development of future athletes.
The programme is being implemented in 60 countries to an estimated six million children worldwide and Zimbabwe becomes the third country on the continent to launch the programme after South Africa and Morocco.
