SOS Schools in Zimbabwe
SOS Nursery School Bindura
A total of 95 children were admitted this year at the nursery school. Twenty two children were from the SOS Children's Village Bindura, ten were those receiving an SOS Scholarship and 62 children were from the community.
The major highlights for us were:
- Chipo Mbizi from our Village was one of the nominees for the CHIPAWO Child of the Year Award
- We received the Chipawo Litee Centre of the Year Award and received a floating trophy
- Children were taken on educational/fun trips once each term
- Thirty five children graduated from the nursery school and 13 of these were our children from the Children's Village
The SOS Nursery School continued to enjoy good relations and maintained its popularity with the community, despite the cash shortages and harsh economic and political challenges. Enrolment dropped from 95 in Term One to 90 in Term Three due to these challenges and by year end, parents opted to pay fees in foreign currency.
This year we faced food, water and electricity shortages. Parents and staff had to go the extra mile by putting in extra effort and time to ensure the smooth running of all Nursery School programmes. The gas stove, which was bought by the parents, could not be used due to the unavailability of gas. Despite all these challenges, staff continued to work hard throughout the year and parents received value for their money.
This year, the Ministry of Education’s Zero Grade classes started operating in most schools, including the private schools in Bindura.
We managed to buy a DVD player for the children through our fundraising efforts. Staff attended various staff development workshops, such as parenting skills, child counselling, stress management and team building.
SOS Primary School Bindura
The SOS Primary School opened in 1989 in a high-density, low-income part of Bindura. It has nearly 1,000 pupils. Most of these come from the 
local community on scholarships funded by Red Cross, the government local churches as well as SOS Children.
At beginning of year there was a full teaching staff establishment of 28, including the Head. Four teachers resigned during the course of the year. The major reason cited for the resignation was the poor working conditions in the country.
Two of the teachers were replaced by qualified personnel and the other two are yet to be replaced by qualified teachers. Unfortunately, the Teacher in charge of the Infant Department passed away towards the end of the year. Her services are greatly missed. Generally staff attendance was good, despite the harsh and very unfavourable socio-economic and political environment.
The enrolment was stable throughout the course of the year. There was pressure from parents who were seeking places for their children who had been displaced because of political reasons. Only a few were enrolled because of limited places.
SOS non-teaching staff remained stable at seven. A School Development Committee's clerk was engaged and she managed to cope with her work.
The Grade Seven pupils sat for their final examination and results are yet to be released. The Grade One to Six classes were well conducted. The pupils’ performance was satisfactory, bearing in mind the demotivating circumstances the teachers have been facing. The School Development Committee was very co-operative; however, most of the intended projects were not successful due to economic constraints.
Although athletes were trained, the Athletics competitions at all levels (including District) were not held due to circumstances beyond our control. The ball games were done and the School came second in Volley Ball and Boys’ Soccer at Zonal level. Competitions for Music, Traditional Dancing and Physical Education were not held due to uncontrollable events.
One hundred and twenty pupils were in the SOS Scholarship Programme. The payment was done on time. Eighty three pupils live at the SOS Children’s Village Bindura and their welfare is fully catered for. There are 99 children on the Social Centre (FSP) Block Grant. It is however, recommended that the grant contract should meet payment of school fees.
Fundraising was done through tuck shop sales, civvies days and raffles. A net income of Z$5,000,000 was realised.
Communication has been a problem. The landline has been down since last year. Efforts to get it repaired were fruitless. The cell phones had no network at times and were very expensive by year end.
Procurement of school requirements was almost impossible because of the very high prices of goods and services. School fees per child were reviewed from Z$350 to Z$7,000 to Z$300,000, but this was no match to the lofty inflationary trends. Most parents failed to pay the last top up of Z$300,000 timeously. The extremely high security costs have forced the School to employ a private security guard until eventualities stabilize.
There is a shortage of school furniture. At least 150 desks and chairs for infants and 200 desks and chairs for juniors are needed.
Teaching staff were generally in low spirits due to the very poor remuneration vs. the escalating cost of living.
Plans for 2009
- Purchase of school furniture and text books
- Redecoration of administration and classroom walls and doors
- Completion of borehole fittings
- Procurement of new office computer
SOS Secondary School Bindura
The SOS Secondary School opened in 1992. There are over 1,000 pupils in 20 classes.
One of the most difficult and challenging academic years has come to an end. Despite the vast challenges, we have managed to march on proudly.
Total school enrolment was 1,046. The teaching staff complement currently stands at 40 instead of 43. Three teachers resigned at the beginning of the year because of poor remuneration by Government and have not been replaced as yet. It is difficult to get teachers for Maths, Sciences and Commercials because they are in demand in neighbouring countries. The School also has 13 members of supporting staff. 'O’ Level results were the best in the Bindura district and the 'A’ level pass-rate increased from 77% to 85.2% in 2008. Despite the harsh economic challenges we all faced, lessons progressed normally and teachers put all their effort into carrying out their work.
Food packs supplied by SOS Children’s Villages Zimbabwe's National office motivated and re-energised our teaching staff. Teachers conducted their work with the diligence and efficiency it deserved. We are proud to say that we are the only secondary school which managed to conduct internal examinations for Form One, Two, Three and Lower Six in the province. The rest of the province was on strike. Public examinations ran smoothly for 'O’ Level and 'A’ Level candidates. Many thanks to the unyielding and sterling support we received from the National Office. Prices of stationery, chemicals and technical subject requirements had gone way above what we could afford.
We held a number of staff development seminars on various issues. The Head and Deputy Head facilitated the workshop on running public examinations. Invited facilitators from the community also led some of the seminars on public service expectations, counselling and guidance.
Our students participated in many demanding extra-curricular activities. We triumphed in Under 20 Soccer, Under 16 and Under 20 Volleyball. We performed exceptionally well and represented the province at national level competitions. Students from this School were also involved in Justice for Children Trust activities, Girl Child Network and Junior Corps, which are all child rights organisations. It is pleasing to note that this year we had one student from our own SOS Village going into Lower Six. This was a motivating factor for the other Village children in lower forms.
The economic and socio-political situation had a negative impact on the behaviour of children. The economic environment caused deterioration in the appearance of our once admired students because some parents could not afford to buy the complete school uniform. Our Leo Club identified one desperate case and they fundraised and bought the complete school uniform for the girl.
As we breathe a sigh of relief that we did not stumble, we hope 2009 will be a better year.
SOS Nursery School Bulawayo
The SOS Nursery School had an enrolment of 170 children right through the year, even though we had various fee top-ups, as we were trying to adjust to the roller coaster economy. Of the total number of children, 17 were beneficiaries of the Family Strengthening Programme (FSP) and the children who were on the SOS Scholarship Programme. We had four babies and one toddler through the year and these children automatically move either to the Toddler Programme or the SOS Nursery School Programme. The Pre-school Programme, comprising ten SOS pre-scholars, always gives us such satisfaction, as we see the result of more individualised stimulation. The total number of children from the SOS Children's Village Bulawayo who were in the nursery school was 16.
In the First Term and Second Term holidays, our Community Holiday Programme was held and this comprised children who are beneficiaries of the FSP who are not attending any early learning centre. The guardians continue to cook for the children and assist with the learning situation. Groceries are donated by the FSP and are always appreciated by the beneficiaries.
This year we had students from the United College of Education attached to the nursery school, as well as one student from Solusi University. We see ourselves as key in the practical training of students from government training colleges and the private institutions.
In 2008, one of our major objectives was to disseminate information on Child Protection to the community we serve and as such, at every opportunity given where parents were gathered, we made sure that we used our Child Protection link people to address them on these issues. We also invited other stakeholders, like Childline, to discuss laws that protect the child in Zimbabwe.
Two members of our educator staff were invited by the FSP to assist them evaluate their programmes in the community. They were away for three weeks, but as they reported, it was an eye opener on how one of our Facilities operates and the challenges they face. SOS Day was celebrated with Soccer and Thembiso Children's Home, our adopted nursery school, won the trophy which was donated by a parent many years ago.
We held a successful Sports Day in October to celebrate the Global Peace Games and we invited St. Gabriel Nursery School. A number of parents attended this event. The nursery school closed early this year due to challenges with our sewer, but only after our usual end of year festivities of the Nativity Play and Graduation were held.
SOS Primary School Bulawayo
The SOS Primary School opened in 1995. There are about 750 pupils in 23 classes. It has computer labs, a library, swimming pool, tennis courts and sports field.
Update from 2008:
The year 2008 was characterised by numerous socio-economic problems. Despite all the challenges, our combined effort as a team produced meaningful results. Credit goes to all staff that made this possible.
Our enrolment, which stood at 829 pupils at the end of the year, was more or less stable compared to the first and second term figures. Staffing in 2009 is likely to cause serious headaches. The Head of the School and one teacher resigned and four other teachers have hinted strongly that they may not turn up for duty in the coming year. On a positive note, the Music and Computer Departments were boosted when two new teachers for the respective departments were engaged. The Music Department was joined by a second teacher, a graduate of the Midlands State University. A computer teacher was recruited as a cost cutting measure, as previously the computer teacher was outsourced. The School is paying for software only, as hardware that is currently being used now belongs to the School. The School has continued to do well in national examinations. A pass rate of not less than 90% was achieved in all four subjects examined at Grade Seven level.
The School participated in a number of exciting extra curricular activities with positive results. We were delighted to be invited to take part in the Bulawayo Music Festival held at the Academy of Music in Bulawayo. The festival featured international musicians from the United Kingdom and Germany and they conducted workshops in percussion instruments to the pupils. Thirty five pupils from our School Orchestra participated in the workshop and performed at the final concert, which was held on Africa Day at the Academy of Music. The festival was an eye opener for the children, as they were taught various performing techniques. They had the opportunity to play along side international musicians in the final concert. As a result of our participation in the festival, ten of our pupils were offered places at the Academy to study Theory of Music on a part time basis. Three of the children were from our Village.
The Girls Hockey Team, comprising junior and senior teams, competed in two festivals. They achieved second place out of twelve schools. Our Boys Hockey Team won the Inter-schools Provincial Hockey Tournament held in Gweru at the Midlands Christian School. Shamiso Ncube, one of our top Hockey players from the Village, made history by being selected to play for the Matabeleland Primary School Hockey Team alongside other notable Hockey players from schools such as Petra and Whitestone. Soccer, which was no longer played at the School as a result of being overshadowed by such disciplines as Hockey, Rugby and Cricket, has been revived. Within a short space of time and with meagre resources, the Soccer Department had achieved amazing results. They held their own against well known Soccer giants in the province. Another exciting development will be the introduction of Girls Soccer in 2009. There is no doubt of the passion and commitment that these teachers have displayed and we will see Soccer claim centre stage soon. The economic hardships and poor conditions of service, which caused low morale, poor health and absenteeism among staff, impacted negatively on service delivery.
Maizelands Farm Primary School
The SOS Primary School has over 1,000 pupils. It is on the outskirts of Bindura at the SOS Maizelands Farm. This is about 50 miles north of Harare.
The School comprises 24 classes, each with an average of 42 pupils. The enrolment dropped from 1,051 at the beginning of the year to 1,000 by the end of the year. The enrolment dwindled because some pupils transferred to other schools. Their parents were forced to relocate during the election period (29th March 2008 to the 27th of June 2008). Those who transferred were not replaced because the enrolment was already high. Some parents wanted to transfer their children from neighbouring schools to the SOS Primary School Maizelands, where quality education is offered. The School has produced medical doctors and numerous university graduates.
The staff were composed of 30 teaching and ancillary staff. The teaching staff complement was 26, including the Head. The ancillary staff comprised the Bursar, Security Guard, Gardener and Cleaner.
Twenty two classrooms were used. Of these, three had no roofing ridges and their walls were not plastered. There was an acute shortage of roofing ridges and cement in the country. An average sized computer room, with seven functional computers, was operational. The Administration Block had two offices and a reception. There was no staffroom. Pupils used Blair toilets and water system toilets were not used due to water shortages. Teachers share seven three-bed roomed houses and a hostel with six bedrooms. Some teachers reside in Bindura and the School's truck transports them to and from work.
Twelve subjects were taught. These are English, Maths, Environmental Science, Social Studies, Religious and Moral Education, Home Economics, Physical Education, Shona, Computer Science, HIV/AIDS Education, Art and Music. Computer Science and HIV/AIDS Education were offered from Grades Four to Seven. Eleven pupils lost their parents this year. It is alleged that the cause was HIV/AIDS related illnesses. This prompted the School to focus more on the teaching of HIV/AIDS education, emphasizing on awareness. The participatory method, which stimulates thinking, was adopted. The pupils in upper grades rehearsed the use of a range of life skills designed to empower them to deal with real life and problematic situations as they grow.
Grade Seven pupils wrote eight papers for their end of course examinations. The Grade Seven pass rate had a lot to be desired but a marked improvement was noted. The following co-curricular activities were offered - Soccer, Netball, Volleyball, Athletics, Traditional Dance, Music and Percussion. Clubs like Drama, AIDS Action and Scripture Union were also offered. Our teams did very well at both Zonal and District competitions. Some District competitions were not held due to the industrial action by teachers in other schools.
The School recognised SOS Day by playing games, reciting poems, singing and doing traditional dancing. Pupils and staff enjoyed themselves.
The morale among staff members was very low because they could not access their salaries from banks and also Government seconded staff received meagre salaries. The SOS National Office rekindled the morale by giving them food packs. They were quite motivated and performed their duties satisfactorily.
The SOS Bindura Social Centre officially launched the Family Strengthening Programme at the SOS Primary School Maizelands on the 31st of July 2008. Text books, exercise books and paint were donated. Miss Britt Schuman from SOS Norway witnessed the colourful ceremony. The Provincial Education Director and officials from the Ministry of Social Welfare attended the occasion. The books will go a long way towards improving the quality of education. The School was painted and it’s now a marvel to look at.
There was an outbreak of Cholera in the School’s catchment area. The Provincial Medical Director was informed and a Cholera camp was set up at the School. One pupil succumbed to Cholera.
Challenges:
• Some pupils were absent from lessons and arrived late to school because of hunger. A feeding programme is needed
• The School needs a staffroom
• The School experienced a problem with water due to power cuts. A manual borehole is needed
• There is a shortage of classrooms. The three classroom blocks, which are under construction, should be completed
• There is a shortage of teacher’s accommodation. More houses are needed
SOS Nursery School Waterfalls (Harare)
The SOS Nursery School concludes the year with an enrolment of 174 children and again we have failed to keep the enrolment within the 
maximum requirement. We hope to increase our fees drastically this coming year, as this may be the only way we can control our enrolment. Our six Group Rooms have a staff compliment of six teachers and one Group Room Assistant. We have two Cleaners, one Cook, one Gardner and a, Nursery School Principal. This year we were lucky again to have three ladies on attachment and that went a long way in helping us with the work load.
This has been a challenging year and because of that our Toddler and Baby Stimulation Programmes were compromised, as they were not consistent. The staff had to source basic commodities and spend time in bank queues during the afternoons, however, the stimulation of our Village pre-scholars continued at a steady pace.
Most of our major functions were postponed at the beginning of the year because of the political situation in the country and it left us with no choice but to have all the functions in Term Three. We had to hold all our major functions like the Sports Day, Group Plays, Graduation and the Nativity Play in Term Three. Luckily it has been a long term and has kept everybody busy.
It was impossible to hold fundraising activities this year. The unavailability of basic commodities and the amount of cash offered at the banks made everything difficult. Coming up with a realistic fee structure was also a challenge and this kept us asking for a fee top-up on a regular basis. We ended up resorting to charging fuel coupons as fees and this kept us going until the end of the year. As most retailers were demanding foreign currency, fuel coupons came to our rescue.
Despite the challenges in the country, our parents continue to be supportive. We held three consultation days this year. Educational trips were considered as a luxury this year and as a result, we had none.
This year our teachers played a major role with our Village children by reviving our Twinning Programme. Each teacher visited at least two SOS houses, where child development issues were discussed with the children’s mothers. Ideas were shared between mother and Educator to produce a wholesome child.
Eighty three of our children graduated this year, of which 11 were from the Village, two from the SOS Scholarship Programme and the rest from the community. It has not been easy to run the Nursery School this year. We look forward to a better 2009.
SOS Primary School Waterfalls
The SOS Primary School opened in 1989. There are some 840 students, taught in 22 classrooms. The school has computer labs, a swimming pool and a sportsfield.
The total enrolment to date is 780 children, of which 383 are girls and 397 are boys. One hundred and nine children are from the SOS Children's Village Waterfalls, 45 children are from the community and are on the SOS Scholarship Programme and 15 children are pupils whose parents are staff at the School and were granted an SOS Scholarship to ease the payment of fees that the staff are finding difficult to pay.
Highlights of the Year
• Registration of Grade One pupils for 2009
• Investiture of prefects
• Inter-house Athletics
• Grade One 2009 assessment
• Infant Sports Day
• Inter-house ball games
• Resuscitation of the swimming pool
• Inter-house Swimming Gala
• Special General Meeting that necessitated payment of fees in coupons
• Speech and Prize Giving ceremonies
• Grade Seven Nyanga Educational Tour from the 23rd to the 26th of November 2008
• Staff lunch on the 4th of December 2008
Challenges
• Consultation Day for the First and Second Term were cancelled due to the elections
• Workshops cancelled due to elections
• Water and power shortages
• Work stopped by School personnel due to incapacitation
• Inadequate funds to run the School
Future Challenges
• Maintain the quality reputation the School has earned so far
• Retain staff at the School. The School is not being spared from movement of personnel to greener pastures
• Keeping the team spirit torch alight. Morale needs to be boosted through reasonable financial rewards
The highlights listed are proof enough of the commitment of professionalism, loyalty and team spirit of all staff and parents of the SOS Primary School Waterfalls.
Bookmark with: