LONDON - The money raised from this year's Zimfest will be going to support a tiny school making a difference in the lives of hundreds of children living in a squatter camp in Hatcliffe.Two Hatcliffe residents started Tichakunda Pre-school when they became worried about young children spending their days playing in the dust when they should have been at school. Over 100,000 people live in the new squatter camp which replaced Hatcliffe Extension, razed to the ground during Operation Murambatsvina.Every day over 600 children aged between two and nine flock to the school to learn and they are given a nutritious meal of porridge for many it is the only food they will eat.
However, Tichakunda is in desperate need of funds. The two plastic shacks on site are not big enough to accommodate all of the children and so most have to learn outside in the scorching sun. When it rains they are forced to go home. The school needs permanent classrooms and toilets.
Their most pressing need is a borehole, the school has no running water, only a deep unprotected well which teachers have to monitor carefully in case the children get too near. The money raised from this year’s Zimfest will go towards a borehole to be sunk onsite. A WEZIMBABWE spokesman said they were thrilled to be able to support the charity through an event like Zimfest.
He said: The kids we are trying to support deserve a chance and the people who are using their time and energy need our support. We once prided ourselves as being one of the most literate and educated nations in the world and we did that with a sound foundation. Many of us are employed around the world working for big organisations often with high levels of responsibility. The kids in Zim now deserve the same chance we had.
Post published in: News