Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, which successfully hosted the popular Econet Victoria Falls Marathon on July 7, 2024, has been refurbishing facilities at Baobab Primary School, in the resort town, as part of the company’s corporate social investment at the venue of the marathon. The refurbishments include an upgrade of the water supply system to the school, the installation of clean solar energy, the renovation of the school’s public ablution facilities and paving of the school driveway. “Over the last two years we have identified opportunities to work with Baobab Primary School to upgrade and refurbish some of its key facilities and physical infrastructure,” said Fungai Mandiveyi, the listed company’s Media Relations and Corporate Affairs executive.“Boabab Primary School has been amazing, as the place where all our marathon runners start and finish all their races, and as the venue for the prize-giving presentations and post-race celebrations.“We are therefore delighted to partner with the school to upgrade its essential facilities to ensure excellent public health and hygiene standards for the students, teachers, and the entire school community, and to generally improve the learning environment at the institution,” Mandiveyi said. He noted that Econet had already installed an industrial borehole at the school premises, complete with a pressure pump that gets water into the 5,000-litre capacity tanks that the firm put up at the school. It had paved the driveway into the school grounds.“We have also revamped the school's sanitation facilities, which have seen two ablution blocks upgraded with new tiles, a fresh coat of paint as well as the installation of modern restroom amenities.”In addition, he said the company had renovated the school’s sports changing rooms, installing 12 new showers in the locker rooms, laying new tiling, and doing a new paint job. “We are now in the process of installing a new solar system that will take care of the school’s energy needs and help directly impact the quality of teaching and learning at the school,” Mandiveyi said. Baobab Primary School's headmistress, Virginia Ncube, expressed gratitude to Econet for contributing to creating a great learning environment at her school.“Econet has been sponsoring renovations at our school since they started hosting the Victoria Falls marathon from here, from 2023 to 2024,” she said.“The renovations have significantly improved the learning environment for our students and staff, creating a more conducive and inspiring space for learning that goes beyond just the aesthetics,” she said.She added that the company’s support to the school, which has close to 600 students and a staff complement of 19 teachers, would have a great impact on the community. “This is great for the community. For our part, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible education, and the support from Econet will go a long way in helping us achieve that goal. “We are immensely thankful to Econet for their support and partnership, and for their belief in our vision,” said Ncube.Econet Wireless has been sponsoring the Victoria Fall Marathon for the past 16 years. This year’s event attracted over 5,200 participants from across the world, including runners from as far afield as the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Germany, and India.Tendai Zimuto, winner of this year’s 42km marathon, and the half marathon winner, Isaac Mpofu, both qualified for and are currently participating at the on-going Olympic Games in Paris.Local businesses, hotels, lodges, travel and tour operators have reported a significant boost to the local and regional economy, as a direct result of the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon.
