The World Health Organization reports that starting school at an early age is more important when young minds are stressed by poor nutrition. This is why many developing countries now have mandatory 2-3 year attendance at Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs before children are allowed to attend primary school. Without these preschools, the children have no opportunity for education or a bright future. Establishing these education centers is a huge challenge in impoverished communities and requires the help of NGOs.

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History

The people of Zamani live in a remote and impoverished area in rural Zimbabwe. They live 8 km from the nearest primary school. This is a tremendous distance for young children to walk, requiring them to leave home at 5:30 am to reach school on time. They often return home after dark.

The treacherous 16 km round trip walk is a barrier preventing many children from attending school. To overcome this barrier, a tiny pre-school was established in 2013 to better serve them. This Zamani ECD School is a single room thatched roof mud hut for teaching children ages 3 – 7.

While visiting the pre-school, BAOBAB STRONG recognized the problems of teaching in a small hut. The space was severely limited. There were no teaching materials or furniture. The school had no electricity or toilets. Water for drinking and handwashing had to be carried over long distances to the hut. The school needed help!

In response, BAOBAB STRONG reached out to the 40 children of Zamani ECD in 2015, providing fundamental learning materials (paper, pencils) and assistance to construct a toilet.

To overcome the limitations of using a small hut, in 2017 BAOBAB STRONG made plans to build a proper school block (two classrooms) for the students.

Through contributions from generous donors, construction of the school building has begun.

Future plans are to expand Zamani ECD School to include primary school to grade 2.

Goals for 2018

The walls for the new school building are currently constructed up to window level.

Remaining work includes:

• ​Extend Walls up to roof level
• Rafters and Roofing Panels
• Solid Floors
• Windows and Doors
• ​Plaster and Paint

With your help, the school building can be completed quickly.