OFTEN overlooked community builders, grassroots innovators and social entrepreneurs are making significant strides towards the development and growth of the country, the Zimbabwe Impact Awards (Zimpact) has revealed.
The inaugural Zimpact Awards were launched this year running under the theme, Honouring Impact, Inspiring the Future, as an ongoing initiative designed to celebrate measurable impact rather than fame.
Speaking at the ceremony, Zimpact Awards executive director Evermore Kangari said they were honouring people who were making a measurable difference in the lives of others.
“Your efforts are not merely good deeds, they are the infrastructure of a more hopeful Zimbabwe. You have shown us that true leadership is not about position, but about action and that true wealth lies in the positive change we create,” she said.
In an interview, Kangari told NewsDay that the idea behind the awards was born out of a deep belief in Zimbabwe’s quiet but powerful momentum across the country inclusive of the remote communal areas.
Kangari said the awards sought to address the gap between celebrating success and celebrating impact that leads to sustained growth.
“Too often, national platforms focus on reputation, revenue or celebrity but Zimpact intentionally pivots the conversation to focus on quantifiable, profound social change.
“We honour the innovator whose solution is scalable, the community leader whose work addresses a core social need with profound empathy and the entrepreneur whose risk is visibly fuelling a local economy,” she said.
Kangari also called on the private sector to adopt award-winning innovations, provide technical and financial mentorship.
“The awards serve as a bridge, connecting the private sector with innovators who are transforming the country from the ground up,” she said.
“By positioning the award winners as the bedrock, the awards are set up as a vital, recurring national mechanism to audit and champion the grassroots efforts that are transforming the country, ensuring the platform remains relevant and necessary year after year.”