Zimbabwe: Education brings opportunity

At Khumbula Secondary School in rural Zimbabwe, looking sharp is important. Student Clement Maphosa shines his shoes in the boys’ dormitory. Thirty-three boys wake around 5 a.m. to get ready for school. MCC’s Global Family [3] education sponsorship program supports Khumbula with funding that helps defray costs for the neediest students, including the cost of boarding for those who live too far away to walk to school each day. Read more in the Summer issue of A Common Place [4] magazine.

MCC support also helps to make needed repairs on campus. This second boys’ dormitory is being renovated with MCC funding. Previously it had holes in the roof and a broken floor. 

(left-right) Locadia Ncube, Hazel Ngwenya and Buhle Mguni eat their daily breakfast of porridge.  The kitchen is an open-air, three-sided brick enclosure, large enough for two fires. All meals are served outside, rain or shine. Some students said they would like to have an enclosed cafeteria with seats. Despite challenges, students go to great lengths for education that they and their parents believe are the best hope for the future. Some families risk hunger by selling animals to pay for school fees. Some students walk as much as two hours in the morning and another two in the afternoon to get to and from school. 

Students in Silibele Mpofu's Bible class patiently raise their hands to answer a question posed by their teacher.  MCC has donated teaching materials and textbooks; however, students still have to share textbooks. 

A herd of goats rambles past Khumbula Secondary School's only source of electric power, a solar panel. During the day, the panel powers a few computers and at night provides two hours of light during which all boarding students are required to study. Students' parents plan to fence the school property to keep out the neighbors' animals. 

Lindani Ndlovu, Jacob Ncube and Kennis Moyo quietly study under a single, bare lightbulb after a full day of classes. Boys and girls separate into classrooms for the evening study period. Students help each other, and teachers work with small groups. 

Milton Moyo, one of the students supported by Global Family [3], waits while his relatives gather. Moyo and school officials brought MCC visitors to his home to meet his family. Read more about Milton’s story in an article from the Summer issue [17] of A Common Place magazine.

The Moyos have four one-room huts on their property which provide shelter and safety for four generations of family members. Each hut serves a different purpose related to daily life – sleeping, cooking or dining. 

Karina Moyo and her family share a song with visitors, a common cultural tradition in their area of Zimbabwe. In this visit, she reached out to MCC guests with singing, dancing and gifts. Read a reflection from MCC news coordinator about experiencing Karina Moyo’s hospitality and overwhelming gratitude for the hope that education brings her family. 

Milton and his best friend at home, Cleopas Ncube, demonstrate how to use a plow. When not in school, Milton helps his family with many chores, including plowing. 

Milton and his aunt sit in the room he used to sleep in. Milton is only home now for month-long breaks between terms of study at Khumbula Secondary School. Karina Moyo, who has raised Milton since he was 7 months old, hopes Milton's academic success will help him become independent. Milton's goal is to help his family. See the summer issue of A Common Place magazine. Learn more about MCC’s Global Family program. 

A Common Place [26]      |     Global Family [3]

Milton stands near a dam, one of his favorite places close to his family's home. He and his friend, Cleopas, have many discussions here about what it's like to be an orphan and about their plans for the future.