Shipping Books to Zimbabwe Schools

September 15, 2009

Country: Zimbabwe

Topics: Education, Youth

"There is a remarkable change since the donation," says Lloyd Mugwenjedzi, a student at St Joseph's High School in Mutare. "The donated textbooks have made the library interesting; there is a variety." Photo: Mercy Corps

It's hard to learn in Africa's schools without a basic textbook.

A recent UNICEF study in Zimbabwe reported there can be as few as one textbook for as many as 40 students in schools there — if there are any textbooks at all.

We shipped a 40-foot container of donated books to Goromonzi District, Mutare and Chitungwiza areas of Zimbabwe. One thousand high-school math books. Hundreds of elementary-level texts on reading drills and language skills. Dozens of university textbooks on science, engineering and economics.

We put a total of 21,000 books into the hands of eager schoolchildren. In fact, our shipment improved eightfold the textbook-to-student ratio in 50 schools.

It's all part of our effort to ensure access to essential and quality education for 12,000 orphans and other vulnerable children in Zimbabwe. One of the ways we do that is by furnishing schools in exchange for waiving tuition fees for poor children.

These textbooks are boosting teachers' morale and feeding the minds of children hungry to learn. Help us do more with a donation to our shipping appeal. Your $1 sends £35 worth of medicines, books, clothing and other critical supplies to people in need.