Chipinge District, Zimbabwe — The Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe (FAWEZI) reaffirmed its commitment to expanding inclusive tertiary education and skills development opportunities for young women and men during the historic commissioning of Tongogara FM at Tongogara Refugee Settlement.

Held in commemoration of World Radio Day 2026, the high-level event convened Government ministries, UN agencies, development partners, media stakeholders and refugee leadership in a strong demonstration of Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society collaboration. For FAWEZI, the platform provided both strategic visibility and a practical opportunity to deepen education pathways for refugee youth under the FAWE/Mastercard Foundation Phase II Programme.

A Settlement in Transition — and Opportunity

Established in the early 1980s, Tongogara Refugee Settlement hosts refugees from more than 15 nationalities and is steadily transitioning into a service centre model anchored on inclusion, resilience and self-reliance. Within this evolving humanitarian-development landscape, access to post-secondary education remains one of the most critical — and constrained — pathways for young women and men.

The commissioning of Tongogara FM as Zimbabwe’s 15th community radio station represents a major milestone in strengthening inclusive information ecosystems within humanitarian settings. Beyond broadcasting, the station is expected to serve as a vital platform for education awareness, career guidance and youth empowerment messaging.

High-Level Recognition of FAWEZI’s Impact

During the programme proceedings, Settlement Coordinator Johanne Mhlanga delivered a comprehensive briefing on the Whole-of-Society partnership framework supporting refugees across livelihoods, education, health, protection, energy and WASH sectors.

In his remarks, Mr. Mhlanga gave strong recognition to FAWEZI’s growing footprint in the settlement:

“The partnership with FAWEZI is opening critical tertiary education pathways for young women and men in Tongogara. Through the FAWE/Mastercard Foundation Phase II Programme, we are witnessing practical steps toward socio-economic transformation in the settlement.”

He particularly highlighted the successful enrolment of 12 refugee beneficiaries at Harare Polytechnic College in 2026 as a tangible outcome of the partnership — a milestone that signals growing momentum in bridging the transition gap from secondary to tertiary education within the refugee community.

Strategic Engagement and Value Addition

Leveraging the Tongogara FM platform, FAWEZI undertook targeted actions to consolidate and expand the education pipeline for refugee youth.

Key interventions included:

• High-level stakeholder engagement with Government, UN agencies and development partners to position tertiary access and digital inclusion as priority investment areas within the settlement

• Formal handover of 10 TVET bursary application forms to the Settlement Coordinator to support identification and recruitment of eight additional young women into STEM-aligned tertiary and skills programmes

• Strategic consultations to strengthen education transitions across FAWEZI’s partner institutions — Bulawayo Polytechnic, Kwekwe Polytechnic, Gweru Polytechnic, Mutare Polytechnic, and Belvedere Technical Teachers College — with emphasis on inclusive recruitment, retention support and STEM uptake

Collectively, these actions reinforce FAWEZI’s role as a pathways enabler and directly contribute to outcome-level results under the Phase II Programme by improving access, transition and retention of marginalised young women and men in tertiary and TVET pathways.

Community Radio as a Development Multiplier

The event culminated in the official commissioning of Tongogara FM by the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, marking a significant step forward in community broadcasting within humanitarian contexts.

For FAWEZI, the new station presents a powerful advocacy and outreach channel to:

• Amplify education and STEM messaging

• Promote awareness of bursary opportunities

• Support career guidance for young women and men

• Strengthen social cohesion and community voice

Through linking information access with education pathways, FAWEZI is advancing a more integrated model of youth empowerment within refugee settings.

Scaling Impact in Tongogara

Tongogara Refugee Settlement remains a high-need, high-impact geography where many young women and men complete secondary education but face persistent barriers to tertiary progression. The enrolment of the first cohort in 2026 demonstrates that targeted bursary support, coupled with strong multi-stakeholder partnerships, can unlock meaningful change.

Building on the momentum from the Tongogara FM commissioning, FAWEZI will continue to:

• Expand bursary reach within the settlement

• Strengthen STEM and TVET transition pipelines

• Leverage community radio for sustained education advocacy

• Strengthen Whole-of-Society partnerships

Through the FAWE/Mastercard Foundation Phase II Programme, FAWEZI remains firmly committed to ensuring that young women and men in refugee settings are not left behind, but are instead equipped with the education, skills and opportunities needed to drive their own socio-economic transformation and contribute meaningfully to Zimbabwe’s development trajectory.