Build the USAP Community School in Zimbabwe

We believe strongly that our students' education needs build on African culture, history, literature and heritage.  Africa Day on May 25, when African countries celebrate the formation of the African Union, is a special day at USAP Community School.  In the morning, we had a fruitful discussion on Afrocentrism in education and how Zimbabwean schools can better infuse Africa into their colonial-inherited, British style education systems.  

We celebrated local traditional foods throughout the day at all meals and the afternoon showcased African music, dance, poetry and other talents.  We finished up the afternoon playing traditional African games.

You can enjoy a short glimpse into USAP Community School's Africa Day with this video 
https://youtu.be/zriQ9QnqhiY

Links:

• Africa Day 2022 Video

We are excited for the first round of college acceptances for our inaugural Class of 2021 alumni! We wish them all the very best as they set out to pursue their higher education in the United States. We remain grateful to the many colleges and universities who have worked and continue to work with our students in the admissions process. 

While most of the acceptances have so far been from US institutions, our alumni have applied to various global universities that are able to offer them scholarships.  We look forward to the next round of admissions acceptances for the rest of our alumni in the class of 2021! 

Happy New Year!

Cambridge AS and A Level exam results are out and we are so proud of our students!  Our first cohort at USAP Community School got their final A Level results which they are using to apply to colleges and universities internationallly.  Our second cohort received their AS exam results. 

Despite all of the challenges our students and school faced in the throes of the COVID pandemic in 2021, including extended lockdowns where they accessed learning on WhatsApp on phones and kindles with solar panels and batteries, they have excelled with exceptional results!

We would not be able to provide access to high quality, transformative education without your support.  Again, thank you!

As we end what has been a challenging year for everyone, we wish you healthy, happy and restful holidays with your friends and family.  We are very grateful for what we have been able to achieve in 2021 to provide truly tranformative education for determined, high-achieving, economically-disadvantaged young people here in Zimbabwe. 

None of this would have been possible without your faith in our initiative and continued generous support.  We look forward to moving onwards and upwards in 2022 with a third cohort of USAP Community School studnets as well as with more initiatives and opportunities for young people in Zimbabwe to grow and learn.

From all of us at Education Matters and USAP Community School, thank you.  

As we come to the end of 2021, we have so much to be grateful for at the USAP Community School.  In Zimbabwe, schools reopened in September after two months of lockdown delays.  Our students were excited to be back on campus for their final academic term ahead of their November Cambridge AS and A Level examinations for the Lower 6 and Upper 6 students respectively.   

We held our Capstone Showcase of year-long research projects conducted by 44 students in the graduating class. The showcase topics included high rates of teenage pregnancies, waste management, the design of low cost water filters for low income communities, and the arts. Thanks to a generous donation from one of our supporters, 12 students received fellowships to implement their solutions in their communities in the gap period prior to departing for university. We look forward to seeing  our students making impactful contributions in their local communities.

Early this December we were excited to witness the graduation of the inaugural cohort of 45 students from the USAP Community School. This is a historic moment for faculty, staff and supporters of our school given all the operating challenges brought on by the pandemic. We are grateful for your continued support as all this would not be possible without you.  We wish our graduates best of luck as they continue their college applications in the next few months.

We have finished carefully selecting 41 students who will make our third cohort and will join us in February 2022.  We are impressed by their determination and talent and look forward to providing them with a truly transformative education - the key to their future and that of their families and communities. We hope you will continue to support us as we work toward our goal of further developing our school and providing opportunities to more determined high-achieving Zimbabwean students from low-income backgrounds. 

Thank you and wishing you all Happy Holidays!