Barns turned school
5 min read
By Margaret Kamba
Somewhere in Mashonaland West’s Mahusekwa Ward 9 community is Mother Christmas who has put a smile on children’s faces. The 66 year old Salome Mundandishe has gone out of her way to provide free education to the less privileged children in that community. At the rate at which so much adversity is coming, one could easily and quietly be tucked away in Manyame, her home, to enjoy retirement or whatever else it is that they would love to do. But this is not the case for Magogo as she is affectionately known by her beneficiaries who adore her.
A grandmother to all, Mundandishe has developed a heart problem and undoubtedly stress as she must hustle to make sure the students who have dwindled in number match their counterparts in the country while ducking constantly from the politically placed whose and whose who conveniently put labels on her head.
When I first heard about her from my colleague, I knew I had to get down to Mahusekwa and discover that which inspired this old lady to put up something like this. I had a lot of questions on my mind.
So as always I was not expectant and would just dive into the situation when we got on the ground.
As we entered the compound I could not hold back my tears as I saw young children clad in their uniforms running from the ablution facilities just behind the towers of tobacco barns.
Pama shade as the place is called, has a huge potential for growth if like minded people dive into Magogo’s vision. The place has a potential to become a huge learning centre to avoid the children walking long distances like some of us used to do back in primary school many years ago.
As we pulled up, some parents had gathered here to meet us and tell us great things they wanted about the place in order for their children and grandchildren to keep up with the times.
After greetings, we walked through the place as we sought Magogo to hear her story. The children in their numbers and in their little groups along with their teachers sat on the floor, glued to the chalk boards and attentively listened to their teachers.
On some of the boards read “One Many boy boys” and so on. The reading and the rhymes were just like in any normal school setting in one of the country’s affluent suburbs except that here some of the children had no books to write on, no proper school uniforms and even no shoes on their feet in this cold winter season.
For the higher grades were much tougher equations that I could not even remember as this is a learning centre from ECD A to Form 3.
My heart sank as I thought of the determination engrossed in this place and the determination to see an empowered generation. I pictured other schools and how well equipped they are and yet children fail to produce good results. And yet here in all this maze of tobacco barns six units at Grade 7 were some of the highest achievements thanks to the dedicated staff compliment.
Some of these teachers walk long distances to come and be with the children. The stipend, as it deserves to be called, has not made these men and women abandon the children. Others did believe me, because at its peak the learning centre accommodated 16 teachers to cater for 400 students and back then, Magogo would also provide meals for whoever set foot there.
Now because of the harsh economic conditions coupled with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the donors have pulled back while some well wishers who include her children have been left jobless and can no longer supplement her budget.
In her words, Magogo who only learnt up to Grade 7 says, “when my son Thulani and I set out to do this work, we wanted to provide free education, free transport and free food for the children. Most of the funds we have been using here are from rentals from my property in Sunningdale which I use to pay the teachers. It is not much but these teachers have stood by me and the children. I want this place to be a skills development centre where the children will not just go back with nothing. We need water, we need proper demarcation for the facilities so that the children can learn properly without interference. We need furniture as you can see, they learn sitting on the floor. We need stationery. We need electricity because they also need to learn how to use computers like other children. The rains are coming and the place must be properly fixed so that the children are not cold.”
With tears rolling down, she cannot but be surprised at how some members of the community want the place turned into a beer hall. She is determined to use tree shades as classrooms if the continued political victimisation does not stop. She questions how the newly elected leadership within the community can easily use their muscle to intimidate the community when development should be key.
A chat with various community members and staff revealed that many are happy with what Magogo is doing and wish donors could come and help the noble cause.
Pelagia Mutanda, a community member says the school must be refurbished so that the children can learn freely.
“Magogo has provided our children with a place to learn which is close to our homes. Some time ago before this school was there, one of the children disappeared while on the way to school and we do not want that to happen ever again.”
Amaziah Mafuta, the Headmaster of the school looks forward to the centre being registered.
“We have an enrolment of 275 pupils although at our peak we had 400. Our staff compliment at the moment is 6 but at some point we had 16 teachers. We want this to be a registered centre where our students can write their examinations here. We have some of the most intelligent students here who have had 6 units at Grade 7. They have had to write their examinations at neighbouring schools.”
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