Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
A TOTAL of 10 primary schools in three wards in Gwanda North have received textbooks under a partnership between Edward Ndlovu Memorial Trust (ENMT), World Vision and Book Aid International as part of efforts to promote reading skills among learners.
Beneficiary schools include Glassblock 1, Shake, Wilikisa, Glassblock 2, Stanmore, Lumene, Sinkunkwe, Mkwidzi, Dambashoko and Matshiya Primary Schools.
Each school received 10 boxes with 250 books each. The schools fall under the World Vision area programme where the institution and ENMT signed a memorandum of understanding in 2021.
The books were facilitated by the trust through the Edward Ndlovu Library under the “Book Box Programme”, which is being funded by Book Aid International.
Edward Ndlovu Memorial Trust director, Mr Michael Moyo, said the partnership with World Vision has helped the trust to meet its mandate of increasing the number of readers through assisting learning institutions with literature.
“The ENMT programmes are designed and implemented under the strategic approach of using information as a key catalyst for development. “Our primary target as an organisation is children and we focus on their development mainly through educational support in the form of reading material,” he said.
“Our education programmes are designed to reach all children by providing supplementary reading materials and activities. We seek to improve literacy levels through the distribution of library services to all schools in Gwanda district.
“Our objective is to scale up schools’ outreach to include 38 new primary schools in Gwanda District. “With a projection growth of 50 percent by the end of 2024, I am thrilled to announce that with this collaboration with World Vision area programme Gwanda, we have reached our targeted 50 percent growth of the programme,” said Mr Moyo.
He said through their interventions, they seek to reduce the gap that exists between urban and rural children in accessing reading material. He said the books can also be used to enhance the education curriculum.
Mr Moyo said the assessment they conducted has shown that some learners in rural schools complete their Grade Seven not knowing how to speak English, read or write.
“We want to inculcate a reading culture within schools and communities as the books will also be accessible to community members. As an organisation, we want to reduce illiteracy levels to tolerable levels,” he said.
“In Gwanda, there are some learners who complete their Grade Seven not knowing how to read, write or speak English. It’s difficult for learners to pass if they can’t read. A number of schools in the rural areas don’t have these books, which can develop learners.”
The trust is working in more than 75 primary schools in Gwanda District running various programmes starting with the pioneer programme for 43 schools, inspiring readers in five schools and the Book Box Programme being implemented in 33 schools.
The institution has also established micro-libraries in Gwanda Provincial Hospital, Gwanda Prison and Ekhaya Kip Keino Children’s Home. World Vision regional operations manager, Mr Shepherd Mavuso Dlamini, said the organisation’s interventions in communities were centred on education, life skills, livelihoods and child protection.
“This partnership represents not just the coming together of two esteemed organisations but a joint commitment to the children, families and communities of Gwanda District,” he said.
“At the heart of this collaboration is a shared vision — a vision of a brighter future fuelled by the power of education, literacy and knowledge. Through this MoU, we lay the groundwork for increasing access to books, reading materials and educational resources, which are essential tools for personal and collective development.
“In a world that is rapidly evolving, the need for children and communities to have access to education and knowledge cannot be overstated. It is through literacy that people are empowered,”
Mr Dlamini said the programme will work closely with local authorities, schools and community leaders to ensure that interventions are responsive to the unique needs of Gwanda’s community.
“As World Vision Zimbabwe, we commit to mobilising the necessary resources and providing technical, financial and material support for the successful implementation of these initiatives,” he said. — @DubeMatutu
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