Online Reporter
Flora Sibanda recently in Filabusi
A lack of nearby schools and a local police station has been identified as a major contributor to rising crime rates, teenage pregnancies, school dropouts and early childhood marriages in parts of Insiza District, Matabeleland South.
One of the most affected areas is Montrose in Ward 19 where the nearest secondary school is approximately 20km away, a situation that makes it extremely difficult for learners to continue with their education after completing Grade Seven.
In response, a group of 14 women from the area, working in partnership with the Zimbabwe Women’s Lawyers Association (ZWLA), formed an advocacy group in 2023 to push for the construction of a local secondary school.
The group has already secured a site for the school, sourced over 3 000 bricks and is actively fundraising for additional building materials.
Ms Zanele Mjoli, chairperson of the advocacy team, said they were approached by ZWLA in 2023 and trained in advocacy work. After the training, they were encouraged to identify a local issue they wished to address and the need for a school was the top priority.
“Many of our children drop out of school. After finishing primary school, they either get married, seek employment as domestic workers, engage in illegal mining, or will just be idle at home waiting for their fathers to die so they can fight over inheritance,” she said.
“As parents, we sometimes ask families living closer to schools to accommodate our children, but that in itself is not safe and is financially draining. It means supporting two households, and the people looking after the children aren’t able to monitor them closely to prevent teenage pregnancies.”
Miss Mjoli said the group has managed to mobilise the community to donate over 3 000 bricks and a few bags of cement. They have also been allocated a site to construct the school.
However, they still lack critical materials such as roofing sheets, window and door frames and additional bricks.
“Our target is to construct at least one classroom block by the end of the year and begin enrolling students next year,” said Miss Mjoli.
Another group member, Mrs Senzeni Ngwenya, who is also a village head in the ward, highlighted the negative impact of not having a police station.
“The closest police station is 33km from here and as a result, there is a lot of lawlessness. The same children who drop out of school often become violent, even towards their own parents,” she said.
Mrs Ngwenya said reporting such cases was difficult because it means walking 33km to the police station.
She said some teenage pregnancies could be as a result of sexual abuse but due to the distance, many such cases go unreported.
“That’s why, in addition to the school, we’re also advocating for a local police post, even if it’s just a tent for now,” she said.
ZWLA Regional Co-ordinator, Ms Sethulo Ncube, said the organisation began engaging the community in 2023.
She said the organisation trained the women and guided them to identify local issues they could advocate to change.
The women identified the lack of a secondary school as the root cause of several social challenges, including gender-based violence, early pregnancies and child marriages all linked to poor access to education.
“To help raise funds, the women have also asked each household to contribute US$3 monthly towards the school project,” Ms Ncube said.
