By Tyrone Bennett | CEO of Action Change
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Since our last update we have been back on the ground in rural Zimbabwe, visiting the schools that your generosity keeps running, and we came home with a lot on our minds.
Here is something that has stayed with us. Every morning, before lessons begin, two children from each class are sent to the borehole. They carry five litre buckets and they pump, by hand, for around forty minutes, just to get enough water for the day. The water is safe, we have confirmed that. But the image of children doing that work, missing class to do it, when they should be sitting at a desk learning, is one we cannot shake. And it is the clearest possible picture of what this project is really about.
The schools we support feed nine thousand children every single day. That takes water, a lot of it, and right now that water comes through iron pumps and small hands and a lot of time that belongs in a classroom. We want to change that, and we have a clear plan for how.
Solar powered pumps replace the manual boreholes and give schools running water around the clock. Aquaponics systems, which use ninety percent less water than traditional growing methods, bring fresh greens and fish protein into meals that currently rely on dry nutrient packs. Poultry projects complete the picture, giving schools a source of consistent protein and eventually a surplus they can manage themselves. Together these three steps take a school from being entirely dependent on outside support to being very nearly self sufficient, and the cost to get a single school there is $4,900.
With thirty rural schools on our list we know this is a long road. But we are on it, and things are moving. There is real energy behind this project right now, with the team out in the community, knocking on doors, dreaming up events and finding new ways to bring people in. We are not sitting still and it feels good.
We are also really excited to be part of the GlobalGiving Bonus Day starting on the 15th of July. Over twenty four hours, every new donation of $100 or above will receive a proportionate share of a matching fund. If you are in a position to give again we would be so grateful, and if not, sharing our project with friends, family or colleagues during that window costs nothing and could make a real difference. In numbers we go further, always.
Thank you for being part of this. Nine thousand children ate today because of you. That is not a small thing.
By Clive Nyapokoto | Zimbabwe Lead
By Shayle Havemann | Project leader
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