Last week Raphael Tembenu and I distributed close to 4,000 writing utensils to over 1,700 students! As we went around to each school we were increasingly excited by the reactions of the students, teachers and community leaders. Something so small as a pen is having a huge impact on the students, teachers and entire community!
Once the distribution began, the chief stated, “This initiative has come at the right time when some parents are struggling to find food for their families and this has filled the dips in those families. The majority of the children will now be coming to school because they have received enough writing material”. The Chairperson of Nkangamira School Committee added “Nazitere bwenzi zikomo (this is excellent)! This is a great opportunity that has come to our community. I am seeing change at the end of this.”
On our next stop, the Chiwoza Primary School, the Chairperson addressed the children in preparation for our distribution of pens and pencils, he stated “Today you will receive gifts from Goods for Good, you will receive pens and pencils,” which was followed by heavy clapping by the students. “Thank you for your applauding but I expect that to be followed by hard work in class to ensure that we get maximum benefits from these pens,” he added. A roar of excitement bellowed from the children, CHEERS, CHEERS, CHEERS!
The last stop was Chimanazo Primary School where I took some time to chat with standard eight students to hear how this program would benefit them and their communities. Patience Matemba, a 12 year-old student, explained that “Education is very important because it helps us to know a lot of things that can help us to move from poverty and make us reliable citizen in our communities. Like myself, I would like to be a nurse as such I need to be educated for me to achieve my ambition. I will use these pens that I have received today to write my work in class and this will make me work extra hard to attain my goals. Also, be ass
ured that the orphans and other children from very poor families have been greatly rescued from the burden of lacking school materials.”
Lastly, I met with Village Headman Chiwoko who was very excited with the program. “I feel so happy with this program because it is promoting education in my village. I like the use of all parties, village chiefs-school committee members and teachers, because this promotes transparency and accountability and encourages us to work together during development initiatives in our communities. If our children are educated then our community will be developed because education and development go together.”
Our first stop was Nkangamira Primary School. When we arrived, we were greeted by loud cheering from the students. The first thing we did was brief the chiefs, school committee members and teachers on their responsibilities. You might be wondering what I mean by this, we have found that handing the goods over to the community and encouraging them to distribute the goods empowers the entire community to take responsibility of the materials ensuring equality among recipients and proper use of the materials.
Once the distribution began, the chief stated, “This initiative has come at the right time when some parents are struggling to find food for their families and this has filled the dips in those families. The majority of the children will now be coming to school because they have received enough writing material”. The Chairperson of Nkangamira School Committee added “Nazitere bwenzi zikomo (this is excellent)! This is a great opportunity that has come to our community. I am seeing change at the end of this.”
On our next stop, the Chiwoza Primary School, the Chairperson addressed the children in preparation for our distribution of pens and pencils, he stated “Today you will receive gifts from Goods for Good, you will receive pens and pencils,” which was followed by heavy clapping by the students. “Thank you for your applauding but I expect that to be followed by hard work in class to ensure that we get maximum benefits from these pens,” he added. A roar of excitement bellowed from the children, CHEERS, CHEERS, CHEERS!The last stop was Chimanazo Primary School where I took some time to chat with standard eight students to hear how this program would benefit them and their communities. Patience Matemba, a 12 year-old student, explained that “Education is very important because it helps us to know a lot of things that can help us to move from poverty and make us reliable citizen in our communities. Like myself, I would like to be a nurse as such I need to be educated for me to achieve my ambition. I will use these pens that I have received today to write my work in class and this will make me work extra hard to attain my goals. Also, be ass
ured that the orphans and other children from very poor families have been greatly rescued from the burden of lacking school materials.”Lastly, I met with Village Headman Chiwoko who was very excited with the program. “I feel so happy with this program because it is promoting education in my village. I like the use of all parties, village chiefs-school committee members and teachers, because this promotes transparency and accountability and encourages us to work together during development initiatives in our communities. If our children are educated then our community will be developed because education and development go together.”
1 comment:
Could you imagine what it would be like to go to work everyday and not have anything to write with? That’s what I always think about when I see students without any basic materials, knowing that they often have to choose between buying food or buying school supplies. If I had to go to work without a pen, day in and day out, I would be so discouraged that I would give up. How can we expect these children to dedicate themselves to school, and believing in a brighter future, when so many don’t even have the basic necessities in which to live let alone learn?
Post a Comment