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Although she has been active in a range of business and organisational areas that provide great stimulation and interest, for Sylvia Sanyanga the greatest satisfaction has come from working for children with cancer-related illnesses, helping them and their families to see their battles through.
Sylvia is a part of the DStv Shark tribe. She is a founder of The Nate Foundation, a trust that provides information, counselling and medical support to children with Fanconi’s Anaemia and other cancer-related illnesses, as well as to families and other caregivers.
“The work of the foundation is underpinned by the founders’ desire to see all children and patients with FA get the adequate help they need in order for them to live their lives to the fullest,” she said.
“To date, we have directly assisted more than a thousand families and I hope what has been achieved has been of huge benefit to all those helped.”
Sylvia has her own family, with her and her husband having three children. It was her children who brought her into the Nate Foundation area of activity, with two of her children, Natasha and Nathan, having the condition called Fanconi’s Anaemia and having had to go through bone marrow transplants.
She said: “Their brother Raymond was the donor to both of them, an amazing brother and sister’s keeper. Their dad is an amazing family man and with all our troubles we are a family that loves life, sharing lots of special moments, love and laughter. We have a deep religious faith, too.”
Sylvia has a deep entrepreneurial spirit and is a trained public relations practitioner with experience in communication, sales, event management, resource mobilisation, community development and public affairs.
She is also director of Caterpillar Clubhouse, a pre-school and special needs centre in Ruwa, which offers a holistic learning environment for children with special needs, who are taught alongside children without special needs.
“This integration creates a positive educational environment and has enabled these children to see past what would have been a limitation, allowing them to strive for the excellence they have achieved,” she said.
Sylvia has other feathers in her cap. She is the creative director and founder of Kutenda Creations, an events company that provides event management services, decor and catering services. The company has worked with some of the country’s top brand-holders.
“We have had some amazing experiences at high-profile events such as a national congress at Victoria Falls at which more than 6 000 people participated, including the President and government officials,” she said. “We have also provided services to celebrities such as Oliver Mtukudzi, Jah Prayzah, Hope Masike, Prudence Katomeni, Tariro neGitare and others, and we’ve been involved in events like NAMA 2020 and various fundraising campaigns with a medical basis.”.
Sylvia, who works full-time at the Canadian embassy in Harare, has other areas of involvement, one of which is the managing director of Sweet Nectar Refineries, a producer of cordial beverages. She also hosts The Ladies Breakfast on each first Saturday of the month, a networking platform that helps women support each other and leads to financial empowerment that in turn changes not only their personal success path but also that of their families, communities and the country as a whole.
She said: “These breakfasts have been making a small but significant contribution towards the economy. Speakers have been from a range of backgrounds and share their experiences, encouraging the participants and even becoming mentors to them.
“A highlight of this networking was an occasion when two women connected, one from a corporate background and the other from an organisation that supports young brides. This led to helping ensure that 10 young women who had undergone the bad experience of child marriage to become enrolled in universities and technical colleges.”
Sylvia was nominated for best community leader and best event organiser awards at the C.Hub CA Awards in the UK in 2019, winning the community leader accolade. She also won The Boldness Award 2020 in Dubai, at the Zimbabwean Women Do Dubai Conference, which brought together Zimbabwean women from all over the world.
The family has been subscribing to DStv since 2007, and the most popular channels in the household include Nickelodeon, SuperSport, various lifestyle channels and Mzansi Magic.
“Dstv has helped us get through some of the most trying times in our lives,” she said.
“On a bad day on which one of the children has been unwell, we have huddled around the TV to enjoy great movies or an episode of Family Feud and at that moment all the sadness is gone. Not only has it brought laughter and entertainment, but it has also brought us together and increased our knowledge by watching programmes from channels such as National Geographic.”
Sylvia enjoys the DStv Now app, which helps them see content at times that flow around busy schedules.
“I can even manage what the children watch from the wide selection of fun content, and I find this reassuring.”