Help 30 Zimbabwean women and girls re-enter school

Greetings to you, dear friends of FAWEZI.

We hope we find you well and that you are keeping safe amid the outbreak and spread of the 2019 Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19).

In our last report early this year we celebrated the Ordinary level results for our 2019 candidates. We also shared that we had taken on board more girls into the programme. 2 of them are in the first year of Advanced level, 9 will be seating for Ordinary examinations this November and 1 is still in Primary school.

We would also like to share that this is a difficult time for us as FAWEZI and also for our beneficiaries since the education patterns have been disturbed. The first term  (14 January to 2 April)  was cut short by a week and  we are currently more than  a month into the second term (5 May to 6 August)  yet our schools remain closed  due to the global pandemic- CORONA Virus .

 The Zimbabwean Government has recently extended the lockdown measures put in place to control the spread of the COVID-19 indefinitely emphasising that the lockdown will be   eased out in a strategic and gradual manner. As of now schools remain closed and plans are to open them in phased approach starting with the final examination classes.

Despite the current challenges we are happy to share that FAWEZI has kept in touch with the beneficiaries in all this. We have kept communication lines open and facilitated sharing of reading material which include soft copy text books, past examination papers and novels. The organisation has also shared information on hotlines and toll free numbers to report abuse and violence bearing in mind the rise of child abuse and violence cases during the lockdown.

FAWEZI also continues to share information on possibility of opening schools, examination dates and any other information that we deem useful to the girls since many of them do not have access to the press or online news channels. It is encouraging to note that our girls are keeping afloat with their school work from home   and reaching out to FAWEZI whenever they need any support.

The spread of COVID-19 and the subsequent measures to reduce it has also brought out the importance of technology in terms of communication and education. FAWEZI cannot ignore the fact that the prominence of online learning (Google classes, zoom lessons, whatsapp lessons, and online content) has brought challenges and deepened inequalities in terms of access to education. Most of our girls do not have gadgets and access to the internet due to high tariffs and lack of electricity in their homes.

The current situation is indeed a learning curve which will also inform our work and disaster response going forward. It is a time to factor in the ‘new normal’ and implement interventions that will make sure that our beneficiaries are not left behind in terms of access to quality education during and post COVID-19.

Over and above all FAWEZI continues to appreciate each and every one of your donations. All the donations made on this platform make a significant impact in the lives of these girls and young mothers.  We encourage you to keep on supporting s and together we will celebrate our success.

From all of us here at FAW