Help school in Hauna Zimbabwe
Donation protected
Hauna Christian College
I walked up to a line of children in clean school uniforms with their hair done up and socks up high. I found that looks can be deceiving because from a distance they look like regular school children when in reality they are underprivileged students striving to get through school. Their only hope is to get good grades and further their education past where their parents had. The students range from age 2 to 20. The younger ones are beginning to learn English, while the older ones are weighing their options of applying to college. Their chances of attending and affording college rely solely on their grades. Despite their ages they are all very aware of the high pressures to succeed. They’ve all witnessed their families struggle to provide for their basic needs. The village and school are sanctuaries for students to uninterruptedly focus on their academics.
Some students from the school live and board at the village, while others just attend school during the day. I tend to favor the kids I live with at the village. They’ve gotten to know me well and I’ve seen their individual personalities. The kids are witty, talented, creative, innovative, and determined. Each morning I am greeted with warmth, smiles, and laughs. I fit right in here and it is easy to be myself. They are happy to have me as a guest and teach me about their culture. They feel special when they are being filmed and oftentimes want me to make them dance or music videos. We have fun during the off-time without Tv’s, internet or cell phones. The only challenges are my limited connectivity and inability to access the news during their currently trying government election times.
Although the official language of Zimbabwe is English, they all speak Shona and vary in their use of English. Shona is their primary language used within the family, at the markets, and throughout the community. Some are conversationalists, while others can only say, “Hi, how are you Lily?” The youngest ones know English the best. I use them to translate a lot. I’ve learned a handful of Shona words and continue to test myself to memorize more. It means a lot to them when I am able to spit out a Shona word here and there.
All the kids come from different locations around Zimbabwe and have different circumstances. Something most of them share is their desire to learn and become something. They are aware of which careers are highly desired and strive to one day fulfill those roles. Their parents who are famers, tailors, clerks, mechanics, electricians… struggle to pay their school fees and get them off to school. There are even children who have been abandoned by or have lost their parents and permanently live at the village. Some kids have shoes and clothes, while others are barefoot and wear the school uniform during their off times. They’re school clothes are deceiving because they look well-kept, but during the off time most don’t wear shoes and are walking around in the mud or dusty streets barefoot or in dollar cheap flip-flops. At the village they play games with rocks and create soccer balls out of wrapped plastic bags. I was unsure before arriving about what their needs would be, but it is now very apparent what they are missing.
The school is missing basic things like reading books, text books, lesson plans, homework papers, pencils, computers, school supplies, silverware, sports equipment, toys, backpacks, shoes, and teachers. The country is undergoing inflation and prices of simple items are very costly. Prices of goods and foods are comparable or higher than the US because everything is shipped into the country and their shipping is well-behind ours. Amazon or Walmart do not exist here. For instance a box of cereal is $12, shampoo is $13, and oatmeal packages are $7 USD. Sunscreen was $32! It is expensive to feed the children so much of the food is grown in the surrounding fields. Bananas, pineapples, apples, cucumbers, lettuces, eggs, lamb, beef, goat milk, tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, mangos, corn meal, broccoli, sweet potatoes, yams, eggplant, carrots, peas, lemons, oranges, onions, beans, rice. They are blessed with fresh water that flows from the mountain’s waterfalls. The difficult part is piping the water to the village and collecting it. The current school works very hard to maintain their clean water source flow. People from the community oftentimes sneak onto the school property to collect buckets of water. It is very costly to have clean running water. A main priority at the school is that each kid receives proper nutritional meals while attending. This oftentimes isn’t the case when they are at their own homes. The agriculture of the surrounding land is rich and water run-off from the mountains provide for lush vegetation.
A handful of teachers teach multiple subjects to a couple hundred children. The school is known for its rigorous coursework and pride themselves on the student’s academic scores. Students travel to Hauna Christian College from all over Zimbabwe. These kids are the smartest in the providence and it shows! Teachers used to be paid by the government, but the government withdrew educational funding. The teachers are paid out of the owner’s pocket. Some, not all, students pay school fees and boarding fees that contribute to food, uniforms and whatever else. I’m sure it doesn’t cover much if anything. If they can’t make the payment they still accept the children because their mission is to provide education to the disadvantage…even though that costs a lot. Today I witnessed kids using tiny worn-down pencils that the teacher would hand out so they were not misplaced. They didn’t have a box of crayons only a few broken ones that the kids would share to color their homework. They were so grateful to receive the little supplies I brought with me. I underestimated their access to utensils, pens, paper, and things we don’t even worry about at home. I needed a pen to get the outlet to work and it was nearly impossible to find one and I had to ask staff. My job will to be documenting this, marketing their school, applying for grants, and fundraising.
Each day my connections with the kids grow deeper as I start to learn about their stories and see them progress in school. Before coming here I was unsure exactly what I’d be doing, but it has become increasingly clear that my mission is to support this school however I can. I will be filming alumni students, teachers, properties, tourist spots, owners and families to get a sense the educational value in Hauna, Zimbabwe.
Students come from low-income families where they cannot pay school fees, uniform or supplies. This leaves the school to take on the cost of a student who cannot afford to attend, but must not be turned away from education.
If you'd like to contribute to my mission and their education donate here:
I walked up to a line of children in clean school uniforms with their hair done up and socks up high. I found that looks can be deceiving because from a distance they look like regular school children when in reality they are underprivileged students striving to get through school. Their only hope is to get good grades and further their education past where their parents had. The students range from age 2 to 20. The younger ones are beginning to learn English, while the older ones are weighing their options of applying to college. Their chances of attending and affording college rely solely on their grades. Despite their ages they are all very aware of the high pressures to succeed. They’ve all witnessed their families struggle to provide for their basic needs. The village and school are sanctuaries for students to uninterruptedly focus on their academics.
Some students from the school live and board at the village, while others just attend school during the day. I tend to favor the kids I live with at the village. They’ve gotten to know me well and I’ve seen their individual personalities. The kids are witty, talented, creative, innovative, and determined. Each morning I am greeted with warmth, smiles, and laughs. I fit right in here and it is easy to be myself. They are happy to have me as a guest and teach me about their culture. They feel special when they are being filmed and oftentimes want me to make them dance or music videos. We have fun during the off-time without Tv’s, internet or cell phones. The only challenges are my limited connectivity and inability to access the news during their currently trying government election times.
Although the official language of Zimbabwe is English, they all speak Shona and vary in their use of English. Shona is their primary language used within the family, at the markets, and throughout the community. Some are conversationalists, while others can only say, “Hi, how are you Lily?” The youngest ones know English the best. I use them to translate a lot. I’ve learned a handful of Shona words and continue to test myself to memorize more. It means a lot to them when I am able to spit out a Shona word here and there.
All the kids come from different locations around Zimbabwe and have different circumstances. Something most of them share is their desire to learn and become something. They are aware of which careers are highly desired and strive to one day fulfill those roles. Their parents who are famers, tailors, clerks, mechanics, electricians… struggle to pay their school fees and get them off to school. There are even children who have been abandoned by or have lost their parents and permanently live at the village. Some kids have shoes and clothes, while others are barefoot and wear the school uniform during their off times. They’re school clothes are deceiving because they look well-kept, but during the off time most don’t wear shoes and are walking around in the mud or dusty streets barefoot or in dollar cheap flip-flops. At the village they play games with rocks and create soccer balls out of wrapped plastic bags. I was unsure before arriving about what their needs would be, but it is now very apparent what they are missing.
The school is missing basic things like reading books, text books, lesson plans, homework papers, pencils, computers, school supplies, silverware, sports equipment, toys, backpacks, shoes, and teachers. The country is undergoing inflation and prices of simple items are very costly. Prices of goods and foods are comparable or higher than the US because everything is shipped into the country and their shipping is well-behind ours. Amazon or Walmart do not exist here. For instance a box of cereal is $12, shampoo is $13, and oatmeal packages are $7 USD. Sunscreen was $32! It is expensive to feed the children so much of the food is grown in the surrounding fields. Bananas, pineapples, apples, cucumbers, lettuces, eggs, lamb, beef, goat milk, tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, mangos, corn meal, broccoli, sweet potatoes, yams, eggplant, carrots, peas, lemons, oranges, onions, beans, rice. They are blessed with fresh water that flows from the mountain’s waterfalls. The difficult part is piping the water to the village and collecting it. The current school works very hard to maintain their clean water source flow. People from the community oftentimes sneak onto the school property to collect buckets of water. It is very costly to have clean running water. A main priority at the school is that each kid receives proper nutritional meals while attending. This oftentimes isn’t the case when they are at their own homes. The agriculture of the surrounding land is rich and water run-off from the mountains provide for lush vegetation.
A handful of teachers teach multiple subjects to a couple hundred children. The school is known for its rigorous coursework and pride themselves on the student’s academic scores. Students travel to Hauna Christian College from all over Zimbabwe. These kids are the smartest in the providence and it shows! Teachers used to be paid by the government, but the government withdrew educational funding. The teachers are paid out of the owner’s pocket. Some, not all, students pay school fees and boarding fees that contribute to food, uniforms and whatever else. I’m sure it doesn’t cover much if anything. If they can’t make the payment they still accept the children because their mission is to provide education to the disadvantage…even though that costs a lot. Today I witnessed kids using tiny worn-down pencils that the teacher would hand out so they were not misplaced. They didn’t have a box of crayons only a few broken ones that the kids would share to color their homework. They were so grateful to receive the little supplies I brought with me. I underestimated their access to utensils, pens, paper, and things we don’t even worry about at home. I needed a pen to get the outlet to work and it was nearly impossible to find one and I had to ask staff. My job will to be documenting this, marketing their school, applying for grants, and fundraising.
Each day my connections with the kids grow deeper as I start to learn about their stories and see them progress in school. Before coming here I was unsure exactly what I’d be doing, but it has become increasingly clear that my mission is to support this school however I can. I will be filming alumni students, teachers, properties, tourist spots, owners and families to get a sense the educational value in Hauna, Zimbabwe.
Students come from low-income families where they cannot pay school fees, uniform or supplies. This leaves the school to take on the cost of a student who cannot afford to attend, but must not be turned away from education.
If you'd like to contribute to my mission and their education donate here:
Organizer
Lily McLaughlin
Organizer
Tucson, AZ