Zanele Moyo

GWERU – A local woman, Agatha Chipatiso,  last week opened an inclusive cooking school for students of all abilities, backgrounds and skills levels providing an inclusive and supportive environment to learn and grow.

Her journey up to when she decided to start a cooking school offering a welcome space for individuals with disabilities, and other people of diverse backgrounds serves as a guiding light in motivating the community into creating a more compassionate and inclusive world.

The first classes of the cooking school took place in Southdowns at Chipatiso’s house where she invited Sunrise Sign Language Academy and churchmates.

Precious Machakanje from Sunrise Academy interpreted the cooking lessons as a way of providing equal opportunities for people of all abilities to learn, cook and thrive.

Chipatiso, a Seventh Day Adventist, explained how she came up with the idea of supporting the community through her free and inclusive cooking school.

“I retired from where I worked in 2018 due to some reasons and I later on met the deaf community through my church. I just discovered that I could help them with something using my cooking abilities.

“I presented the idea to my close friends and they supported me and that’s when I went on to study sign language for me to be able to communicate with them,” she said.

Chipatiso started studying sign language early January and she graduated in Kwekwe through Christ Embassy Church.

She further explains her desire to continue serving those with hearing impairment, while also broadening her outreach to help more people access nutritious food and healthy living tips.

“I wish to teach more people about nutrition especially the deaf community. I believe everyone has a right to good nutrition and thus they should have enough knowledge about it for a better living free of lifestyle diseases,” she said.

John Vudzi, who is hard of hearing attended the first lessons and said; “I am grateful to have attended this cooking school where I have learnt a lot of things that I didn’t know about nutrition.

“I wish to teach others like me and I want to continue learning about nutrition. Cooking schools have no interpreters and having someone who is willing to teach us for free is a blessing.”

Chipatiso moved to Gweru in 1992 from her hometown of Chivhu and later joined Genesis Cooking School of Adventist around 2012.

She further upgraded her education by studying for a degree in Food Science and Nutrition at Solusi University.

When she came up with idea of starting an inclusive cooking school, she got her first support from her husband and children.

Her dream is to continue serving the community by creating an inclusive world for all promoting good nutrition.