Thanks to a very generous grant from the EA Foundation , we are excited to confirm the imminent construction of a brand new Library Hub at Rowa Primary School in Zimbabwe in conjunction with our in-country partner, Mwana Trust.

Rowa Primary School is located in a rural village in the Mutare region of Zimbabwe. Its surrounding community faced significant difficulties during the Covid pandemic with many families unable to afford school fees leading some to move away from the area and youngsters to embark on employment rather than continuing their education.

The school currently has no library and limited computer facilities, and as is seen in much of rural Zimbabwe, there is simply no culture of reading.

Community members, education authorities and school groups are currently meeting to finalise the construction schedule and we expect work to begin shortly.

Once complete, the Library Hub will contain fiction and non-fiction books together with newspapers and magazines. It will also host three computers: one containing the library database and two for research purposes with child-friendly applications and access to the internet. Each class will hold weekly reading sessions where children will be able to borrow books from the library. The library will also establish study groups to help children complete their homework.

Like their teachers, the school’s students are also excited by the prospect of a Library Hub. 8-year-old Charity has “never seen or used a library” while 10-year-old Mavis says, “If we can borrow books and read at home, we will be able to access the world outside our villages.” Her classmate Mollen believes the library will instil a culture of lifelong learning, with internet access “opening doors to a world of information and knowledge, with opportunities of learning beyond the classroom.”

Furthermore, the kind award from EA Foundation will also enable Rowa Primary School to purchase brand new, local language textbooks for all classes in the school to improve their learning in conjunction with the new Zimbabwean school curriculum.

As well as improving literacy, the access to social, cultural and learning opportunities in the Library Hub is expected to lead to increased exam pass rates and improved creativity in all subject areas.

The combination of new skills and improved examination pass rates will give children from the traditionally under-served rural community of Rowa with new opportunities for prosperity through their secondary education and into adulthood.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the EA Foundation for their support of this collaborative partnership, and we are looking forward to sharing updates throughout the coming months as the project progresses.