Children Become Students With CRS Support
Jane M. lives with her grandmother in a high-density suburb on the outskirts of Harare, Zimbabwe. The house has three rooms, and Jane shares one of them with four other children and her grandmother. Jane's father died when she was 11, and her mother died when she was 12. Kimberly J. lives nearby. His parents died soon after he was born, and his grandmother has cared for him ever since.
Jane, left, graduated from the Mavambo Learning Center and now is a student leader at the local public school.
For years, when other children their age were attending school, Jane and Kimberly stayed at home because their caregivers could not afford to pay school fees. Jane spent her days helping with household chores, while Kimberly roamed the neighborhood and played soccer. In 2003, community volunteers told Jane and Kimberly about the Mavambo Trust, a community-based organization that runs Mavambo Learning Center and is supported by CRS Zimbabwe. The Mavambo Learning Center's accelerated learning program helps children who have never been to school catch up academically with their peers so that they can enter the public school system. Students also receive a hot lunch every day.
"I enjoyed learning and getting food at the Mavambo Learning Center, as there was usually no food at home," Jane says. "My favorite subject was math, because I was not very good at math before!"
Nine months later, after Jane and Kimberly graduated from the Mavambo Learning Center, Mavambo Trust helped place them into public school, and ensured that their school fees were paid.
'I Feel Respected at School'
Jane entered school as a fourth-grader. She soon became a school prefect and a peer educator, and her high marks place her at the top of her grade. In 2005, the United Nations invited Jane to share her story with Jan Egeland, the U.N. emergency relief coordinator.
"I feel respected at school," says Jane, now 15 years old. "One can become an important person because of schooling. And I like being a peer counselor because I am helping children to deal with issues which trouble them."
Kimberley, left, with his siblings in their home.
Kimberly began attending the local public school as a second-grade student. Now 13, he, too, is at the top of his grade.
"I think he has the capacity to one day be a great leader," says Danny Gomwe, the assistant project coordinator of Mavambo Trust.
What are Kimberly and Jane's secrets for doing so well at school? They say that students must be disciplined, attend and participate in all classes, choose good role models and choose responsible friends.
A few years ago, Jane M. and Kimberly J. simply dreamed of being able to go to school. Now, with the support of Mavambo Trust and CRS Zimbabwe, they have set their sights even higher.
"I want to be a pilot so that I can visit different places," said Kimberly.
"I want to be a doctor because I want to help people who are critically sick and reduce illnesses," Jane said. "There are many sick people out there in our community so there is a need to have more doctors."
