Chidobe Secondary School
June 2018 was the completion date for Chidobe Secondary School. What a fantastic school project. We are so excited about this school for a number of reasons.
First, this school was chosen by The Zimbabwe Government, Ministry of Education as the model school that all Zimbabwe bush schools should be modeled after. Here’s why. A new roof design was put in place at this school. Metal trusses were used instead of wood and we used zinc sheeting that was bolted to the metal trusses. This offers the best chances for a long roof lifetime and a more secure roof during the windy season that Zimbabwe seems to get each year in November.
Second, we were able to bring WIFI to this bush school…so you know what this means as far as the teachers being able to access the internet for current up-to-date information on any related subject at hand. It also allows the teachers to talk to their family members back home.
Third, We drilled a water well and installed a solar-powered pump so the school can plant a garden and have fresh drinking water on-site at the school instead of walking a mile or two to fetch water from the community water well. By the way, water wells are called Boreholes in Zimbabwe.
Fourth, We installed what’s called a “Strong Door” at the school. This is simply a secured room with a vault-type door. This is huge for two reasons. One, now with the secured door the Zimbabwe Government Ministry of Education will deliver the “Exams” to Chidobe for safekeeping until the time of the quarterly and yearly exam periods. Why is this so important? In the past, any student from Chidobe (which by the way accounted for only 20 Students before the Secondary school was built) had to travel to a neighboring village school that had a “strong door” to take their exams. In Zimbabwe, the final exams can take up to 3 weeks to complete. This means that the students were away from home, on their own and to care for themselves. They generally had to provide their own sleeping arrangements and cook their own food. This is a very stressful time for both the students and their parents.
In July 2019 we had the Grand Opening of Chidobe Secondary School. There were about 300 in attendance, many of the Zimbabwe Government Officials were present and spoke at the ceremony.
HERE’S THE GREAT NEWS…TODAY, NOVEMBER 18TH 2019, THERE ARE 157 STUDENTS THAT ATTEND CHIDOBE SECONDARY SCHOOL.
