‘Education is power’
The above phrase is common and young people all over the world have and are relentlessly pursuing academic goals but, for pupils using their laps as desks to write on whilst sitting in bare, scourging African Savannah heat, some taking shelter under tree canopies and more than ten pupils gathered around one text book, it wouldn’t be preposterous for one to ask, “Under these conditions, are they really being empowered?”
Africa is highly synonymous with poor learning facilities and a low percentage of qualified teachers, especially in the rural areas and Zimbabwe, though it is well known for academic excellence, it is no exception. A true model of this saddening scenario was of one rural town in Mashonaland Central Province in Zimbabwe called Muzarabani at a school called Muringazuva Primary.
Imagine a six year old girl, braving the cold winter mornings walking long distances to school, barefooted. And a seven year old boy, trying to write his class exercise in the bare, blistering African Savannah heat. Unlike their age mates in the urban cities, most of the children enrolled at this school didn’t have adequate provisions to smoothen their transition into academic excellence, making it quite difficult and challenging.
For the natives of Muzarabani community, this had become common sight for them up until they were visited by a woman who is on a mandate to transform lives through great deeds of philanthropy. Driven by high altruistic concern for the wellbeing of those in need, Ruth Makandiwa took it upon herself to transform the story of Muringazuva Primary School.
Through the Agape Family Care, Ruth Makandiwa fenced the school, built 3 classroom blocks, drilled a borehole, bought school furniture, textbooks, report books and facilitated electricity for the 620 pupils and 18 teachers at Muringazuva Primary School and all this was worth more than $200 000.00 USD in 2015.
This outstanding gesture of compassion revolutionized the learning experience of the children at Muringazuva Primary School. Before this donation, some of the children at Muringazuva Primary School had to learn under trees and there was a serious shortage of textbooks and report cards for all the grades. Ten pupils had to share one textbook and some children’s end of term results had to be written on a piece of paper. But their learning experience was totally transformed after Ruth Makandiwa and the Agape Family Care gave these young children a chance to efficiently pursue their academic goals and dreams and also provide a better chance for the future generations of Muzarabani to be academically groomed into becoming informed leaders that will work towards the benefit of their community.
"What UFIC has done is commendable," said Dr. L. Dokora (Former Minister of Primary and Secondary Education) during the official opening ceremony and he added, "This is way beyond ploughing back to the community."
Ruth Makandiwa’s donation to the young pupils of Muringazuva Primary School strengthened their academic foundation and this great gesture of love can make one to confidently say, “They are being empowered through education”
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