Zaka-Community builder and social entrepreneur Desmond Chikamhi has launched a book titled Yes You Can with a view to promote excellence and productivity among small and medium enterprises, entrepreneurs and progressive citizens.
Speaking to this publication on the sidelines of the book launch in Harare last Friday, Chikamhi said he felt motivated to play his part in promoting a culture of hard work and achieving against all odds.
“I am a firm believer in starting where you are with what you have and I hope the new book will cement my ongoing effort aimed at promoting excellence amongst productive Zimbabweans,” he said.
“Yes, we have our own challenges as a country, but it is during times of difficulty that opportunities arise.
“The book Yes You Can is a challenge to all Zimbabweans to rise above mediocrity and conquer their fears.”
The book, which was published by Phillip Chidavaenzi’s Royalty Books, saw the corporate leaders, SME players, creatives and musicians gather to witness the event.
Of the delegate make up, Chikamhi said all this was testimony to his relentless pursuit of excellence, hence the quality of network he has built over time.
“The people that you are seeing in attendance today all bear testimony to my relentless pursuit of excellence against all odds,” he said.
“When I came to Harare from Zaka, I had nobody and knew nobody, but I had to define my career path and carve my own niche, hence the confidence that all these important people here now have in me.”
A passionate social entrepreneur and theologian who started working with communities in 2018 through his organisation World Life Changers, Chikamhi said people must learn to seize opportunities as they arise.
“Success favours the brave and my work with marginalised communities and the generally disadvantaged had opened my eyes to both the challenges and opportunities,” he said.
“Yes you can be alive to the challenges but don't miss the opportunities either.
“Yes you can rise above your circumstances and become a celebrated achiever through chasing your dreams even when the environment says otherwise.”
The book launch saw guest of honour and Schweppes general manager human resources and administration Philemon Chitagu sharing a passionate presentation on pursuing your dreams against all odds.
“Desmond’s story is one of defying odds and shrugging adversity and I am proud of his achievements in spite of the limitations,” Chitagu said.
“I am encouraging all our young people to continue working hard and pursuing excellence.
“As the book we are launching today aptly says. We surely can, and we must work hard against all limitations.”
Chikamhi has continued to inspire lives through his organisation.
“Though World Life Changers we help the vulnerable communities in times of natural phenomenon and catastrophes like drought and cyclones,” he said.
“During Cyclone Idai, we assisted over fifty thousand families after we received a donation of non-food relief items from the Methodist Church in the United Kingdom.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, we scaled up our menstrual hygiene management project and started to make renewable or washable masks as a way to provide essential services to the orphans who could not afford to buy masks.”
While competing needs always outweigh available resources, Chikamhi thanked World Life Changer’s various partners as well as corporates like Schweppes Zimbabwe that have continued to lend a hand towards their community development programmes and called for more strategic partners and funders for their work.
“We are grateful to our various partners, among them development agencies, the corporate world as well as the government for the continued support as well as the humanitarian space that we continue to enjoy,” Chikamhi said.
On his commitment to the noble vision of World Life Changers, Chikamhi said his upbringing had a strong bearing on his passion and commitment to humanitarian work and he will continue giving himself to community development for as long as he has breath in his lungs.
“I was born and raised in Zaka Jerera, Masvingo under a very difficult and a humbling environment,” he said.
“My mother left me in the care of my polygamous father and his three wives at the tender age of six.
“Growing up in a big family where my father even struggled to fend for us was not an easy thing and I would work in other people’s fields just to get by and at least have a chance at education.
“Thanks to government intervention, I received educational support under the BEAM initiative, which at least gave me a good start in life .
“However, I could not go to college and had to find other ways of developing myself professionally.” He encouraged SME players and young entrepreneurs to buy the book, which he said was greatly inspirational.