Africa is a continent of thousands of unsung heroes, who, despite the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, have continued giving of themselves to their communities.

Out of a total of 29 participants who entered the Old Mutual Sisonke competition, three winners have been acknowledged for their contribution to society and share the R150 000 cash prize.

The Zimbabwean winners are: Tatenda Gombani, who will receive R 100 000 for her project My Sisters Keeper, which concentrates on producing reusable sanitary pads and educating girls and women on sanitary health.

The runners up, who will each receive R25 000 are Sean Mambwere, whose project M&M Dance Factory innovatively incorporates using dance tutorials to encourage remote learning in innovative and forward-thinking ways.

Tongesayi Edward Rwapunga, who works with the Kingdom People Church & Our Children, Our Hope Foundation initiative, also struck a chord with the judges for the work the church is doing to help feed those most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Old Mutual’s purpose is to champion mutually positive futures for everyone. We salute all who took the time to enter our competition. While acknowledging their contributions, we also salute the many others who did not enter the competition but stayed active in their communities.

“They are the people who address challenges, roll up their sleeves and get going. They are heroes who deserve our thanks and support,” says Lillian Mbayiwa, Group Marketing and Innovation Executive at Old Mutual Zimbabwe.

The winners were selected from a field of entries in which everyday heroes shared their projects and contributions to their communities via 90 second social media video submissions. Their videos can still be viewed via the Old Mutual YouTube page here: https://bit.ly/3vS4744.