Helmut Reutter discerns a profitable Zambia

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By Saeedi Simon Banda and Derrick Sinjela

FOURTEEN years after its birth, CHRESO University Chancellor Helmut Reutter is encouraging students and teaching staff to build a successful heritage beyond computer excellence achieved by Apple founder, Steve Jobs.

On his part, Vice Chancellor, Lawrence Mwelwa is prodding students and teachers to bequeath future generations, through contributing into the Legacy Project, meant to consolidate the learning edifice, as Chreso University held a Third Open Day themed: ‘Changing the World through mind transformation’, adapted from Romans 12:2

Aside from honouring deserving faculties at the Makeni and City Campus facility, Reverend Helmut and Dr. Mwelwa rewarded teaching service recognition to staff, some with a 14-year-career spent at the education heritage.

Dr. Mwelwa applauded support received from service chiefs, DODE Director, Higher Education Authority (HEA) Director, Teaching Council of Zambia (TCZ) Registrar, General Nursing Council (GNC) Registrar, Cavemont Bank, academicians, students and parents.

Making reference to Chreso’s 2018 theme: ‘Transformed into the likeness with ever-increasing glory’, borrowed from 2 Corinthians 3:18, Reverend Reutter implored learners and Zambia as a whole to appreciate that everyone has in-built capacity to succeed.

Chreso comes from the Greek word “Chezo” that means, “need.” Chreso Ministries established in 1996 and registered as a non-profit making Faith-Based, Non-Governmental Organization, providing education, HIV counseling and testing support to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

Chreso Ministries is an affiliate church of Gospel Outreach Fellowship involved in three groups of volunteers collaborating with University Teaching Hospital, Prisons and Chainama Mental Health Hospital donates foods, clothes and toiletries to street kids and natural disaster victims in Luangwa Valley and Siavonga District drought relief and school feeding programmes in Southern Province.

Chreso Ministries’ mission is to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities of Zambia with life-changing programs and “Leading God’s people to maturity and mature people to dominion as a Vision Statement.

Tagged as ‘Meeting Your Educational Needs of Today’, Chreso University is a Government approved and registered higher learning institution offering degrees in leadership, business, development studies, community development, theology, public health and its overall objective is to provide affordable quality education at undergraduate and graduate level.

Said Reverend Reutter: “Potential must be used. We embraced Change. After asking God, this hiding place for thieves is now transformed. People said I was crazy to build a church here. It took time to develop, a result of ‘Teamwork’ and ‘God’s Grace’. As we begun building, we confronted HIV as many people died. It was our duty to be relevant to the needs of the people, and took the bull by its horn, made the change; serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Our desire now is in education investment, in the girl-child. At first, people did not support, but today a lot of people have come. Just as a river has a small beginning, always the flow is bigger as it reaches out,” Reverend Helmut Reutter nudges.

“Great change happens not by accident but by human beings taking the stride as complacency is not good,” said Reverend Reutter as he advised a media that is relevant to development needs of Zambia.

“One day, I will make a newspaper and give you competition. You are wasting our time, as publishers, let us learn to rise and focus on development news, not trivialities. We need to build Zambia as a powerful powerhouse yet most newspapers are failing to highlight the fact that mines are all owned and controlled by Australians, Americans, Chinese, and Europeans and Indians. Just why are Zambians not owning mines? We must change the atmosphere Zambia. Children must be born ambitious. Be the best you can and rise. We can change our world and shine like a star. Zambia must be a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. God is a God of opportunity. Things begin small. Show Zambia as a potential. Let us get the gold out of the ground and build a better country. It is a blessing to live long, as attested by late Billy Graham, who at 99-year-old had a 4 million global audience.

 

“We can all change the world as our Chancellor said. At this point in the past, a snake used to be here but after a transformation, we are here now secure learning and offering mentorship. Today’s generations must think of making tomorrow better. We need to think responsibly, as opposed to children, who think of themselves only.

“When mining is over we shall only remain with tourism. In the future, copper will finish and tricks will destroy the roads. We want the Legacy Fee, to guarantee access to education, 600 years later,” preached Dr. Mwelwa.

 

Dr. Mwelwa says Chreso Open Day is an interaction opportunity with prospective students, parents, guardians and a cross-cutting stakeholder community, stating that since inception in 2004, Chreso University continues contributing to Zambia’s social, economic and political development.

“Chreso University has achieved outstanding local and international recognition in academia, research and corporate social responsibility. We are making a statement about the quality of services, we render to the public and our readiness to display public scrutiny of our products, goods and services,” said Dr. Mwelwa pledging to enrol more students, increased courses and seeking to expand operations beyond Zambia.

Dr. Mwelwa restated a resolve toward consolidating Chreso’s interaction with prospective customers, through internal discourse, inaugural and public lectures.

“We believe that Chreso University exists to identify and implement development agendas that facilitate national economic and social growth. This is no easy task, in an environment of galloping political, economic social change. As a nation, we must courageously face the impact of contentious changes in governance in countries like the United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK) and Europe,” prodded Dr. Mwelwa.

Citing global trade and economic arrangements through Brexit to the United States reduced funding toward social sectors in recipient countries, Dr. Mwelwa implored people beyond Zambia to confront the dynamic challenges to growth, largely manifested by high poverty, high-income inequality and high unemployment.

“These teething challenges call for a new, creative thinking and policy activism; connecting imagination to strategic action. Imagination is essential because, as a popular variation of Albert Einstein’s words aptly indicates: ‘A problem cannot be solved on the same level of consciousness that created it. We must be prepared to open our minds to new ideas, and to thinking differently. Allowing ourselves to be shaken out of our conventional thinking modes and approaches is an essential prerequisite in our development quest,” advised Dr. Mwelwa.

Preaching entrepreneurship as a basis on which to entrench a vibrant and resilient economy, creating a more equitable and inclusive society, Dr. Mwelwa encouraged aggressive tackling of Zambia’s inequality and injustice.

Dr. Mwelwa tags economic growth driven by internet companies, skilled labour and a stable predictable leadership as ingredients fuelling China’s development and position as a leading socio-economic powerhouse.

“China’s internet market grew by 6.2 percent in 2017 and to 731 million people, with 95.1 percent accessing the web via their mobile phones, according to the China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC). This is manifested by an influx of highly trained people into the science and technology sector. Supported by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) founded in 1921 chiefly by Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, on the principles of Marxism-Leninism,” observed Dr. Mwelwa.  CCP populalised by Mao Tse Tung is now boasting of nearly ninety million members led by President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, who succeeded Hu Jintao, a trained engineer, in 2013.

Dr. Mwelwa showered praise on Zambia’s 50 private universities for responding to the graduate un-employment through offering entrepreneurship education, awarding students university diplomas and degrees.

“Parents and guardians now have a choice. Education as a business project has a long gestation period. There is virtually no profit for most private universities in the first 20 years. Without government assistance, the proprietor is forced to continue to give subsidies and grants.   For Zambia to fully tap the benefits of private university education, the country cannot resign education development to “pocket” initiatives. We need a national agenda holistic approach built by targeted investment. Universities must undertake advocacy to convince the government to render unwavering support,” Dr. Mwelwa prayed for larger public funding to private universities.

Chreso University, located within Munali Constituency, is accredited to the Health Professionals Council of Zambia (PHCZ), General Nursing Council of Zambia (GNCZ), International Association of Universities, the Distance Education Association of Southern Africa and Open and Distance Association of Zambia.

Chreso University is situated 35 kilometres South West of Lusaka on two separate pieces of land calculated at 55 acres, with the main City and Administration Campus, located at Plot 177734, Nangwenya Road, Mass Media, sitting on a 25-acre land. Chreso University, sandwiched by Muvi Television, University of Zambia (UNZA) Great East Road Campus is a stone throw from Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and National Assembly Motel.

Programmes offered at Chreso University (CU) are Faculty of Education; Bachelor of Art with Education, Bachelor of Science with Education, Bachelor of Primary Education, Diploma –Secondary Education with special options, Diploma-Early Child Education and Diploma-Primary Education.

Faculty of Business and Financial Management; Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business Administration with Education. Faculty of Health Sciences; Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Diploma in Clinical Medical with English, Mathematics,  Science and Biology as entry subjects.

Faculty of Social Sciences and Theology; Bachelor of Theology, Bachelor of Leadership and Practical Theology, Bachelor of Social work and Bachelor of Psychology and Counseling. In the Department of Post Graduate Studies; Master of Arts with Education, Master of Business Administration, Master of Philosophy with various options, Master of Business and Entrepreneurship, Master of Leadership and Organisation, Master of Psychology and Counseling, Master of Theology, Philosophy Degree (PhD) English, PhD in Education Management, PhD in Leadership and Organisation and PhD in Human Resources Management.

As a member of the International Accreditation Organisation (IAO), online enrollment enquiries can be sent to pnjobvu@chresouniversity.edu.zm or call +260977784843 and +26078680688 www.chresouniversity.edu.zm