Give education & training to Zimbabwean girls

This quarter has been notable for two main reasons. New premises and classes in-person. To address the second one first, we are delighted that with the relaxation of covid restrictions and the passing of a covid safety inspection, we were able to open our doors again for teaching. The benefits of face to face (even with a mask) are so intertwined with some of the softer development that the Rafiki programme is all about. Whilst we feel we did great in adapting to online class delivery, focussing on theory lessons, there is no substitute for getting back in the classroom and using our voices for conversation, rather than our thumbs. We’ve also been able to get back to practicals, giving the students the chance to get hands on and apply theory and earn experience. Practical lessons have seen our students back in the kitchens, sewing, decorating and of course developing their IT skills in computers class.

In addition to this we’re delighted to have found some new premises from which to operate. Close to our old site, we’re not sure if this will be our forever home but we can say that the facilities are really great, with a big kitchen, great classrooms and the added benefits of office spaces for our team that don’t have toilet rolls piled to the ceiling.

It’s so nice to have the buzz and atmosphere of staff and students around again and whilst we still have to be covid-safe, things are feeling a lot more normal. All things considered, we’re in great shape and grateful that our situation is as manageable as it is. Thanks again to all our donors past, present and future for your invaluable support.

Links:

• ZET Website
• ZET Twitter
• ZET Facebook Page

Has there been a time in recent memory when we’ve sat down to write an update and not been faced with contextualising everything within covid? In relative terms we feel we’ve done really well, our courses continue online, some limited exams and practicals have taken place in person, subject to government rules, and overall we’ve been a bit more like ‘business as usual’ than at other times this year.

On the other hand though the school remains closed and whist Monday 1^st March signalled the day that the government said we could reopen the school (subject to passing inspection) on 22^nd March we’ve been here before and we can’t take the situation as a done deal.

One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned over this period is about adapting to support our vulnerable girls in ways that work for them in this context. Safeguarding, counselling at times financially supporting them, have all played their part.

Also, as we push ahead we face challenges in finding the right people to support. Our students normally cross-refer so much, communities talk about our programme and the next intake is always over-subscribed. This hasn’t gone away but it’s changed and the task of finding the right 40 vulnerable young ladies to support at this time is a thing we hold as a solemn responsibility.

Add to this that we’ve been asked to leave our offices at short notice so we’re looking for new premises and facing increased costs - and we can say that this is a challenging time. Once again we’d like to thank our donors for your invaluable help and hope you are all safe and well wherever you are.

Links:

• ZET Twitter
• ZET Facebook Page
• ZET Instagram