Rob Strobel (yettieone on Twitter, and here's the direct link to his blog and the post)wrote a great post on Zimbabweans, and has kindly allowed me to host it here. The text follows below:
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It is a well known, but little talked about fact that Zimbabweans worldwide are among some of the most educated and respected people in their individual fields. The Zimbabwean education system was once the pride of Africa, and most certainly one of the highest standards throughout the modern world, so it is without surprise that you frequently hear of Zimbabweans making tracks in their own respective industries.

It is somewhat sad then to see how little regard is given to those Zimbabweans who achieve so much behind the scenes. It is only when someone has gained approval and won awards that thrust them into the lime light of society that there is a scramble to associate with them and be seen as the trend setters in the presence of great people. Sometimes I feel there are times when we should stop and regard the hard work of our people and give praise where praise is due.



Recently I was inspired to think along these lines while reading on the BBC website of a Zimbabwean senior nurse and lecturer from the University of Wolverhampton. Moses Murandu has spent many years working hard to achieve a Masters degree in Medical Sciences and has worked in Africa, the US and the UK in his field. A respected member of the NHS staff at Selly Oak Hospital, Moses has taken the humble remedies that his father taught him as a child, and won recognition and funding for an in depth study of the effects of Sugar on open wounds.

It sounds fantastical and slightly weird to consider applying sugar granules to an open wound and then bandage it to promote healing, but from his experiences as a child he knew from his father’s treatment of a cut on his own leg that sugar helped reduce the pain and promoted healing. When laughed aside by his colleagues within the NHS, Moses stuck to his guns, funding the first six months of his research himself as he doggedly fought to get his results noticed.

Moses Murandu has finally been awarded the prestigious Fondation Le Lous Scientific Research Innovation Award. He has secured a further £25,000 in funding to continue his work, and believes that he has proved that the simple, cost effective remedies that Zimbabwean Medical personal know of, and have used successfully in the African theatre of operation, can be used to radically alter practice within the NHS, improve healing times in large scale operations, and cut costs drastically.

It is this dedication and commitment to producing results that has put many Zimbabweans at the heart of research and technological advancements that are changing the face of our world today. But very often these people pass us by without acknowledgement of their achievement and commitment to their role in society. It is through them that you will find that anywhere you travel in the world, Zimbabweans are regarded as the hardest working, most well educated work force in the world. Zimbabwean medical staff are sort after all over the world. Zimbabwean teachers are welcomed with open arms in almost any country throughout the globe. Engineers from Zimbabwe are hard at work on projects from China to South America. This is just the story of one of Zimbabwe’s success stories. There are countless others and I’d like to make it known that if you are a Zimbabwean, or know of a Zimbabwean that you feel should be credited with the work they achieve in their skill set and field of influence then write to me and I’ll be happy to profile that individual so that we can begin to appreciate our national pride throughout the world. Lets join together in acknowledging those within our society that bring credit and success to the Zimbabwean name. Lets tell the world of our achievements and let’s not be shy to praise those among us that make us proud to call ourselves Zimbabwean.