It was a long time coming! But it’s been more than worth the wait…

At the beginning of 2023, we were fortunate to receive a grant from the EA Foundation for the construction of a library hub at Rowa Primary School in the Mutare region of rural Zimbabwe. As we described in February last year, the community faced huge struggles during Covid that led to families moving away from the area and some children turning to work instead of education. Our Zimbabwean partner, Mwana Trust, were confident a school library could make a huge difference to the quality of children’s education.

It’s fair to say the construction project didn’t run entirely smoothly due to several factors outside Mwana Trust’s control. Fluctuating costs of construction materials, adjustments due to Government regulations on school buildings and heavy rainfall led to delays and certainly kept the project team on their toes!

Fast forward to February 2024 and the grand opening of the Rowa Primary School library hub arrived amidst a flurry of singing, dancing and poetry recitals. Local officials joined Mwana Trust to tour the library hub, with its shelves stocked full of brand new text books and its solar-powered computers offering opportunities of learning beyond the classroom.

Since the library’s opening, teachers and students alike have overwhelmingly responded with excitement about the opportunities it provides to explore new books, expand their knowledge, and engage in reading during their free time.

Moving forward, Mwana Trust will continue to visit Rowa Primary School and monitor the library’s use. We would like to congratulate the whole Mwana Trust team for their determination in pursuing such a successful outcome, and once again, we thank EA Foundation for their funding and support throughout the programme. The Rowa Primary School library is already enhancing children's lives and we know this will continue to be the case for many years to come.