Help 100 Underprivileged Kids in Zimbabwe

Dear Friends,

The students in these pictures received school fees, uniforms and school supplies from the Tekeshe Foundation. I would like to thank you on behalf of these students and their families.  Without your generosity this would not have been possible. Most of these students come from low income families. They rely on agriculture and farm income for their livelihood. During the Christmas break these students worked very hard helping their families tend crops.

Sadly, there was a drought again in this area. Without your help these students would have dropped out of school. Students who drop out of school in these rural areas find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty – they are not able to continue their education and yet they are ill-prepared to enter the workforce. Unlike their counterparts, the urban youths who undergo skills training, rural youths have no opportunities to learn needed job skills because such services are limited, or in most cases non-existent in the rural areas.  Students who drop out of school end up being a menace to the community by getting involved in activities such as illegal trading, theft, and vandalizing property and engaging in pre-marital sex.

Empowering girls to acquire an education is at the heart of The Tekeshe Foundation. As you can see from these pictures your donations are making a difference in the lives of girls as well. Life is not easy for girls in these rural areas. Gender disparity is re-emerging as a result of the financial difficulties that poor families are experiencing. They are now faced with making a choice based on economics as to which child to send to school. The preference is to send boys to school and marrying off the girls as this brings money into the family. People in the rural areas perceive girls as a source of wealth for their families, and would rather marry off the girls to raise funds for educating the boys. 

Thanks again for unlocking doors of opportunity for the youth in these rural areas.

Best Regards,

Thelma