Promoting cross cultural partnerships

Dear Friends,

Pervasive poverty, HIV/AIDS and food insecurity are the biggest threats to the survival and development of children in Sub-Saharan Africa, Zimbabwe in particular. The high prevalence rate of HIV has resulted in increased death toll which in turn has eroded and in some cases depleted the safety nets of families and communities. The epidemic has a wide-range impact on the country, one of which is the rapidly increasing number of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC).

In late February 2017, Nhaka Foundation with friends from 2 Seconds Or Less embarked on the establishment of a nutrition garden in Munyawiri village Domboshava. The project is being implemented at Munyawiri Primary School, with the aim of providing sustainability to the school feeding programme. The project is complementing the Government’s Home Grown School Feeding Program (HGSFP)[1] where the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is implementing a sustainable homegrown feeding solution whereby the government provides the grain for starch and the communities supply a protein or relish. This is one of the easiest ways of ensuring access to healthy diet that contains adequate macro- and micro-nutrients by producing different kinds of vegetables in the nutrition garden. They are especially important in small children’s diets to ensure normal growth and intellectual development. Munyawiri Primary School is one of the schools were Nhaka Foundation is implementing its programmes, after a needs assessment and feasibility analysis Munyawiri Primary School was chosen as a candidate for the pilot project. It is against this backdrop that Munyawiri School was supplied with garden tools and seedlings to kick-start the Project. 

The garden project is expected to supply the school and surrounding community with diverse range and year-round harvest of vegetables while generating income for the school from the garden produce. The revenue will be used to buy food supplies for the school feeding program allowing the school to provide a diverse diet and other nutritive foods for the learners. The income generation component of the project will contribute to sustaining the nutrition garden as the school will be able to buy more seedlings for themselves and eventually feeding learners on their own making the school feeding program sustainable. This will contribute to sustaining the nutrition garden as the school will be able to procure more garden inputs for themselves and feed their learners making the school feeding program self-sustaining. 

Nhaka Foundation is committed to supporting programs that are locally sustainable and value local level community engagement. 

As we celebrate our 10^th year Anniversary of “leaving a lasting legacy” we take a quotation from Grace Lee Boggs;

“We can begin by doing small things at the local level, like planting gardens or looking out for our neighbours. That is how change takes place in living systems, not from above but from within, from many local actions occurring simultaneously….”

Until next time,

Wilbert 

Field Officer 

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[1] The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is spearheading the programme aimed at providing at least one balanced meal for pupils at primary level. "The benefits of investing in school feeding also linked to Sustainable Developmental Goal four, are that it provides a powerful institutional market and can produce impacts in the local supply chain and benefit communities”

Resourcing ECD centres

Dear Friends,

Desks and tables are the primary pieces of furniture in any classroom learning environment and yet for many Early Childhood Development (ECD) program pupils in Zimbabwe this is something they will experience in the upper grades. ECD pupils spend an overall average time of at least one and half hours seated each school day during teacher directed activities. Many of Zimbabwe’s schools, especially those in rural areas, have inadequate classroom facilities for their ECD pupils. Our experience in some of the schools shows that some pupils have no classroom furniture and pupils have to either sit on a bare floor or mat depending on the affordability of the community. ECD Classroom blocks, child friendly ECD classrooms and child sized classroom furniture continue to be a challenge for most rural schools. Children’s experiences are limited by their surroundings, the environment we provide for them has a crucial impact on the way the child’s brain develops (Strong-Wilson & Ellis, 2007, p. 43).

At Nhaka Foundation we believe all children should have access to quality education in a conducive learning environment regardless of one’s background or community. A good early childhood classroom environment is one that meets the child's basic needs, supports and encourages children to engage in various learning and play activities. Further to our ECD Classroom renovation in 2016, we are very excited to be moving on to the next phase of the project by way of classroom refurbishment. 

This week two of the schools that have benefitted from the ECD Classroom renovation program will also receive classroom furniture for the ECD B pupils compliments of a partner we are working with. Until now the pupils at the two schools have been having lessons on the floor which makes it difficult to draw, colour or do any activities with ease. The classroom refurbishment will not only remove a barrier to learning but will also make the students feel comfortable in their surroundings. This will build the children’s self-esteem by making them feel the classroom is designed for them. It will also help the teachers with classroom management and facilitate optimum learning for pupils. 

One’s environment also influences how one feels about themselves and their job, and for the teachers how they relate to the children in their classroom I guess. Here’s to 10 years of working towards a leaving lasting legacy!

Regards,
GlendaECD Program Officer

Beyond 2017- Vision for Education in Zimbabwe

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! I am very excited about this year and the prospects it holds particularly for the education sector and for our young children. A lot of work has been carried out in the last year in order to develop an education sector strategic plan that replaced the Medium Term Plan and also work was carried out to begin the roll out of a new education curriulum by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. 

The 2016-2020 Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) will focus on phasing in the new curriculum; continual provision of professional upgrading, supervision and other support for the teachers. Increasing access to learning through early identification of children with specific learning needs and more well equipped classrooms for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and Information, Communication, Technology) ICT; having the right institutional architecture, great leadership, accountable management, efficient and effective resource utilisation and quality service delivery as well as first class data collection, research and analysis. The Education Act, revised in 2006 and other statutory instruments will need to be reviewed, revised and updated to be consistent with the provisions of the new Constitution.  The policy framework will be reviewed, developed or rationalized and the ESSP commits to prepare and implement policy on a) School level financing b) ICT for the education sector c) School feeding d) Inclusive Education e) Assessment for the infant years and review and develop the assessment framework for new areas f) policy and/regulatory framework for Teacher Professional Standards g) Infant/ Early Childhood policy; and finalize and implement the School Health Policy.

Zimbabwe considers access to high quality and relevant education for all children both as a basic right and the foundation that underpins the cultural, social, economic and democratic growth of our nation.  The structure of Education is now 2-7-4-2 meaning two years of Early Childhood Development (ECD), 7 years basic primary education, 4 years of secondary education and 2 years of senior secondary schooling. Although the literacy rate of Zimbabwe is 92%, there is need to ensure that new schools are built and equipped particularly in the new resettlement areas. The education sector still faces a challenge of a curriculum that does not match the developmental needs of the country. Zimbabwe has reviewed its curriculum to produce a well-grounded learner, capable of contributing meaningfully to the development of the country while leading a fulfilling and happy life. The curriculum rests on five key pillars namely the legal and regulatory framework, teacher capacity development, teacher professional standards, infrastructure development, and research and innovation. 

Zimbabwean children need to be grounded early on in their education, in literacy and numeracy while also being exposed to the fundamental concepts of science and technology through Science, Technology, Engineering,and Mathematics (STEM). The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) grounded in the literature and culture of our nation will develop citizens who are confident to move into the world of work and to sustain their lives. The competency based curriculum which will start implementation in 2017 with ECD A, grade 1, Form 1 and Form 5 currently has 102 syllabuses for ECD, Primary and Secondary classes. The aim of the curriculum being to cherish the pupils’ Zimbabwean identity and values, preparing learners for life and work, and acquiring practical competencies, literacy and numeracy skills. The curriculum promotes inclusivity, lifelong learning, equity and fairness and gender sensitivity. The identified exit profiles are skills, knowledge, national identity, values and attitudinal dispositions.

Early Childhood Development was formally integrated into the education system in 2005 through a Permanent Secretary Circular and was annexed to existing primary schools. The ECD is now bundled together with grades one and two and the four years are known as Infant school, grades 3-7 as junior and forms 1-6 as secondary school. Apart from the various Permanent Secretary and Directors’ circulars and statutory instruments spanning from 2004 to 2014, there is no comprehensive ECD policy in Zimbabwe. The ECD sector is underfunded due to the national weak prevailing economic conditions where the majority of funds for education are allocated to salaries leaving less than 3% for infrastructure and professional development. The ECD sector has about 427 800 learners taught by 4000 teachers with 5800 more qualified teachers required. Only 21.6% of children age 36-59 months are attending an early childhood education program. There is need for building the capacity of existing educational officials to be grounded in ECD philosophy, approaches and methods for them to appreciate value of the sector. The ECD sector has inadequate age appropriate infrastructure and equipment. There are very few learning materials which resonate with the play and learn approach and the culture of the nation. The children in the 0-8 years have 27.6% stunting and 11.3%underweight demanding for school feeding programmes.

The general outlook for the education sector in the country looks promising. Education sector financing is key to ensuring that all these plans are implemented and that children have access to great quality education service provision in Zimbabwe. More work needs to be done to unpack the new curriculum so that it is not only easy for the teachers to digest and implement but also for the parents and stakeholders to look at critically and help shape conversations that move the education sector forward. 

Patrick Makokoro

Executive Director

Nhaka Foundation

My first trip to Africa!

Dear Nhaka Friends,

I had the pleasure of meeting Patrick Makokoro, Founder of Nhaka, at a conference in the Washington D.C. area during the spring of 2015 and I was very impressed by the work Nhaka Foundation does for children.  Long story short, I decided to volunteer with the Nhaka Team to provide training this past winter. During the months of June and July (summer in the US) I had the amazing opportunity of being a part of the Nhaka Team that delivered training to approximately 120 teachers and Headmasters in Mashonaland East province of Zimbabwe. The Early Childhood Development (ECD) Teacher training program is one of the programs being implemented by Nhaka Foundation in the communities they are serving. Prior to my visit, between January and June 2016 Charity Bafana, Glenda Takavadii and I met monthly via Skype to plan the ECD teacher training.  They provided me as much information as they could about the children, teachers, schools and communities we would be serving.  The day finally arrived, June 25th, when I made the long flight from the Washington D.C. area to Harare, Zimbabwe.....my first trip to Africa!!

I spent my first week traveling with Nhaka Team to the schools where the trainings were to be conducted. By seeing the children, teachers and schools first hand I was able to tailor the training to their specific needs.  My second week was spent conducting the trainings with the team and the District Early Childhood Development (ECD) Trainer. Since the trainings were for experienced teachers we started with a review of the learning theory and developmentally appropriate practice for young children.  We then covered second language acquisition theory, how to serve children with special needs, and literacy and maths instructional strategies. Each  training day ended with time for teachers to create lesson plans to put what they had learned into action.

A survey was given to all participants at the end of each  training day. The feedback was very positive and most participants wanted additional training.  My final week in Zimbabwe was spent visiting the schools once again to observe the teachers in action with their newly acquired techniques.  I could not believe how fast my three weeks in Zimbabwe went.  The highlight of my trip was working with all of the fantastic teachers, meeting all of the beautiful children and the beautiful landscape of rural Zimbabwe.

Charity, Glenda and I have continued our meetings via Skype since my return to the U.S.  We are working plans for future Teacher Trainings.  Literally everyday since my visit I think of my experience in Zimbabwe and all of the wonderful people I met. I am proud and humble to be a part of the Nhaka team!!!!

Best wishes,

Dr Lea Ann Christenson