As The20Project has decided to generously support Makomborero, I thought I would share a little bit of what effect this charity is having on the lives of the children we support.
Zimbabwe follows the UK education system, with students writing O-Level exams when they’re around 16 (typically up to 10 subject), and then A-Level exams two years later (typically 3-4 subjects). This is where Makomborero steps in, giving a few very talented students the opportunity to complete their final two years of schooling. The students that we select have all overcome tremendous odds to complete their O-Level exams, and are often orphans or from single parent families.
These kids come from the high density suburbs and rural areas surrounding Harare, the capital city. There is no such thing as free education in Zimbabwe, and every school child has to wear a school uniform. Typically school fees are around $52 a term, but some families cannot afford even this small amount, and the children are often sent home due to unpaid school fees.
Zimbabwe follows the UK education system, with students writing O-Level exams when they’re around 16 (typically up to 10 subject), and then A-Level exams two years later (typically 3-4 subjects). This is where Makomborero steps in, giving a few very talented students the opportunity to complete their final two years of schooling. The students that we select have all overcome tremendous odds to complete their O-Level exams, and are often orphans or from single parent families.
These kids come from the high density suburbs and rural areas surrounding Harare, the capital city. There is no such thing as free education in Zimbabwe, and every school child has to wear a school uniform. Typically school fees are around $52 a term, but some families cannot afford even this small amount, and the children are often sent home due to unpaid school fees.
Due to a lack of teachers and large class sizes, schools will often run two sessions a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Most students have to walk long distances to and from school, and one of our past students, Peter, used to walk 15 miles each way, every day – more than a marathon a day just for the privilege of receiving an education. Very often there are no textbooks, and the textbooks that there are, have to be shared amongst the students. Also students write the O-Level science exams with only a theoretical knowledge of science experiments and equipment due to a lack of facilities. The fact that these students pass their O-Level exams is nothing short of a miracle.
Makomborero selects the best of these students using a rigorous academic and psychometric testing process, and the 8 students that are selected each year are then catapulted into one of the best private schools in Harare, on a full scholarship. They are housed in a boarding house in town during the week, and are given books, uniforms, transport to and from school, and three meals a day – a luxury in Zimbabwe in its current economic climate. The children are also given careers advice, encouraged to take part in extra-curricular activities, and are taught how to succeed in a Western business world – speaking English, eating with a knife and fork, and how to shake hands firmly and look the other person in the eye – which goes against the grain of their cultural upbringing.
Makomborero selects the best of these students using a rigorous academic and psychometric testing process, and the 8 students that are selected each year are then catapulted into one of the best private schools in Harare, on a full scholarship. They are housed in a boarding house in town during the week, and are given books, uniforms, transport to and from school, and three meals a day – a luxury in Zimbabwe in its current economic climate. The children are also given careers advice, encouraged to take part in extra-curricular activities, and are taught how to succeed in a Western business world – speaking English, eating with a knife and fork, and how to shake hands firmly and look the other person in the eye – which goes against the grain of their cultural upbringing.
Makomborero’s support doesn’t stop at A-Levels either. We help the students to apply for university scholarships around the world, and to those that are unable to get a scholarship, we offer a grant to study at a Zimbabwean university. Under the guidance of our founders, Mark and Laura, our students are all blossoming.
The students who took their A-Levels at the end of 2013 are all just starting their university education now, and reading a list of their achievements the other day made my heart swell and brought tears to my eyes. Here is what they are up to now:
1. Pamela Saidoni (UZ, Zimbabwe – Electrical Engineering)
2. Taringana Guranungo (Dartmouth University, USA – Engineering Science)
3. Blessing Musungate (Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey - Computer Engineering)
4. Lisa Luka (Wellesley College, USA - Neuro Science & PreMed)
5. Tinotenda Makuvire (McGill University, Canada - Electrical Engineering)
6. Nyasha Katemauswa (waiting for response)
7. Collen Gondo (waiting for response)
8. Philip Mukuze (Shandong University, China – MBBS Medicine)
We also pay the school fees of a further 8 students who don’t make it onto the full scholarship scheme. Two of those students have now also received scholarships to US universities.
If you want to keep up with Makomborero, and our students, please like our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MakomboreroZimbabwe/, or sign up to our monthly newsletter - https://www.facebook.com/MakomboreroZimbabwe/app_100265896690345