A Safe Learning Space for Zimbabwean ECD Learners

To our dear donors:

THANK YOU for all your support throughout the time we've had our project, "A Safe Learning Space for Zimbabwean ECD Learners", active on GlobalGiving. We are grateful for your support and proud of what we have been able to achieve together. As a result of shifting priorities for the Foundation and the impact of COVID-19, in addition to the fact that we have been able to complete as much as we can during this time as it relates to this particular project, we will be deactivating the project on GlobalGiving. 

When schools opened in March 2021, the ECD learners were able to make use of the ablution facilities. As a result of the lengthy COVID restrictions in Zimbabwe, there was no official opening ceremony however the building was handed over to the school and the Main Camp National Parks community and the ECD learners now have a safe space for their schooling.

Donations amounting to $18,008.81 have been received to date of which $12,279.20 was spent resulting in a surplus of $5,729.61. These funds have not yet been allocated, but will be allocated as soon as we are able to understand the other priorities of the community. 

As part of this Final Report, we are happy to share images with you that show how far the work has come and what we have been able to close out with support of your generous donations. We have also included the completion report.

We are grateful for your donations, thank you for your ongoing support to the African Bush Camps Foundation.

Kind regards,

Jos

• ReportMain_Camp_Ablution_block.docx (DOCX)

Hello from beautiful Zimbabwe!

Thank you for your wonderful support to the future of students in Zimbabwe. As you know, our ECD focused project looks at providing solutions for the Early Childhood Development (ECD). The ECD is part of the Hwange Main Camp Primary School, situated at the main entrance in the southern part of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park. The school along with the ECD serves the children of National Parks employees and their families in a predominantly communal setting. Hwange Main Camp Primary School serves this community of roughly 170 households.

As a part of focusing on the holistic development of the community, one of our main objectives has been to improve hygiene and provide access to safe water and basic sanitation. Up until recently, the ECD classes were sharing a single communally used adult squat toilet located nearby and had no facilities for hand washing. In addition to the current need for good hygiene practices, young children in Zimbabwe have been affected by typhoid and cholera in recent years, both of which can be contracted through exposure to unsanitary conditions, such as crowded communal ablutions and the absence of appropriate sanitary facilities such as hand washing basins. Young children are especially at risk and stand a higher chance of becoming critically ill or experiencing delayed recoveries, which can have long-term negative effects on a child’s development.

 Through your generous donations, we built ablutions for the children including toilets and hand washing basis to support the community to increase ECD admissions and give children a better start in life.  We are grateful for your support in achieving these objectives.

Due to Zimbabwe still being affected by ongoing lock-down restrictions, the official opening of the new facilities has been further delayed and an opening date for schools for 2021 is still unknown, however the new facilities are now in the hands of the school and community and the buildings are ready to welcome the students when they are able to return to school.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you to all our wonderful donors who have made this long-standing dream for the Early Childhood Development classes at Main Camp Primary School in Hwange National Park a reality!

Having raised the majority of our fundraising goal, we are thrilled to announce that construction of the dedicated ECD ablutions has been completed! We broke ground in September and the construction team worked hard to ensure that we remained on schedule. 

Just a few days ago, the building received a lick of vibrant paint and all that now remains are a few finishing touches to the interior.

When the young learners return to school, they will have a safer, more hygienic learning environment thanks to each of you. 

Even though things have been incredibly tough over the last few months, I can't help being filled with hope and positivity as I write this update.

This project has been a priority for our community partners for several years, and with the outbreak of COVID-19, our hearts sank at the prospect of not being able to deliver on our pledge to them this year.

But thanks to your overwhelming generosity, we have almost raised enough funds to build the ablutions and fencing for the Main Camp Early Childhood Development classes in Hwange National Park. Completing the project this year has become a real possibility! 

With lockdown restrictions in Zimbabwe easing, and just over $20,000(!) raised, we can now confidently begin construction.

Your support in these challenging times has kept our team going strong. We know in our hearts that we will reach our final funding goal, and thanks to you all, many generations of young children will have a safe, clean and healthy environment to begin their school journey in. 

From the Teachers at Main Camp Primary, the Hwange Main Camp Community, and the African Bush Camps Foundation Team, thank you and stay safe. 

We have THE BEST NEWS! 

Another local tourism operator has come on board with our Main Camp Primary School in Hwange to fund the construction of a whole new classroom dedicated to the Early Childhood Development Class! 

This is a huge development for the kids, who are currently having their lessons in a dilapidated two-room store room, which functions as their classroom. The early childhood development years are crucial as they are a period of rapid physical, mental, emotional, social and moral growth and development. A conducive learning environment is absolutely key for children to get the best possible start in life. 

A new site on the other side of the existing primary school grounds has been identified for the classroom, and we've seen building materials start to arrive, much to the teacher's excitement! 

An extended rainy season has also been a welcome gift after the drought, but it can dampen the spirits when you need dry ground to build. Adapt is a word we use every here day in Zimbabwe! So with the wonderful news of a proper classroom coming for the ECD children, and the rain continuing to fall, we adapt our strategy. 

Once the ground is dry and work begins on the new classroom, we'll begin laying foundations for the ablution block at the new classroom site instead of building a fence, which will now be the final piece of work to be done. 

This entire new facility including a proper classroom with space for more children and room for play-style learning with safe, clean ablutions, all secured within a fence, will no-doubt change the lives of many, many generations of early childhood development classes - and we're so excited for all of them! 

Thank you to every single one of you who is on this journey with us. We have a long way to go, but as we always say - if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.