mission is "to empower people through life long learning, thereby enabling them to realise their full potential in an affordable and flexible manner while executing their various endeavours". Academics The Zimbabwe Open University is a multidisciplinary and inter-faculty institution. It offers both degree courses and non-degree courses. The university has six faculties: the Faculty of Science and technology, the Faculty of Arts and Education, the Faculty of Commerce and Law, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, Faculty Agriculture and Faculty of Information Technology. A total of 24 programmes are offered under these faculties. As of 2006; The Faculty of Education: Department of Educational Studies Department of Teacher Development. The Faculty of Science and Technology has four departments: Department of Health Science, Department of Mathematics and Statistics Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. The Faculty of Commerce is the largest faculty. It has three departments: Department of Banking and Finance Management and Business Studies Department of Accounting Department of Human Resources, Marketing and Labour Relations. The Faculty of Agriculture has three Department: Department of Agricultural Management Department of Animal Production - Work in Progress Department of Soils and Plant Sciences - Work in Progress Faculty of IT and Multimedia Communications has two departments: Department of Information Technology Department of Software Engineering Faculty of Applied Social Sciences Department of Counselling Department of Development Studies Department of Disability Studies Department of Information Science and Records Management Department of Peace Department of Psychology Faculty of Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies: Department of Heritage Studies Department of Languages and Literature Department of Media and Journalism Studies Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy The course delivery methods include print media, compact cassettes, videocassettes, telephone, fax, e-mail, CDs and radio broadcasts. ZOU arranges for its students monthly face-to-face meetings with tutors in its regional centers. The university is envisaging the introduction of telelearning/teleteaching methods in its course delivery. ZOU was a partner in the Electronic Distance Training on Sustainability in African Local Governments (EDITOSIA), a project started in 2001 aimed at formulating recommendations for policymakers of the government, training institutions, municipal associations and other agencies regarding promotion of teaching methods for building the capacity of African governments to deal with the challenges of local sustainability. ZOU has partnered with the Foundation of Angel of Hope led by Zimbabwe `s First lady to give women a chance to improve their lives through offering free learning to Zimbabwe`s disadvantaged women.