SOS Social Centre Bulawayo at the heart of the community

SOS Social Centre Bulawayo in Zimbabwe is active at the heart of the community in which it lies. Supporting grassroots initiatives in education is one way in which the programme can strengthen the community as a whole while focussing on vulnerable children.

Sobukhazi High School is a community school with around 1,800 pupils. Of these children, almost 100 are "sponsored" by SOS Children's Villages Zimbabwe through the family strengthening and "back to school" programmes. These children would not have had the opportunity to go to school if the SOS Social Centre had not identified them, and their families need support.

Rather than pay the school directly for the children's school fees, SOS Social Centre Bulawayo supports the school as a whole by providing materials that will benefit all of the pupils. For example, recently, SOS Social Centre Bulawayo assisted the school by finding the materials needed to repair 90 chairs and 90 desks. Once the materials had been bought, the school's practical craft subject pupils, such as those taking woodwork and metalwork classes, were able to restore broken furniture using the materials supplied by the SOS Social Centre. Other schools in the area heard about the scheme and although they are beyond the scope of the SOS Social Centre's "back to school programme", Sobukhazi High School is now able to raise funds for itself by repairing and refurbishing furniture and equipment for other schools.

Meanwhile, all the pupils at the school benefit from the recently repaired furniture. Students who are there as a result of the support of the SOS Social Centre attend school as the money paid for the materials covers the money that the school would have charged as school fees. "This venture has provided us with the opportunity to put theory into practice and equip us with life skills ready for our lives after school," said Marvelous Nkiwane, a form four student who is studying woodwork.

Mr Khumalo, the school development committee chairperson said: "the assistance offered to the school benefits the children since they will now be able to learn properly, unlike in the past when they would share a seat of bricks or sit on the floor. This school can now deliver a good service since the children have proper seats and the people in the community are happy that their children are learning in a better environment."

In another suburb of Bulawayo, Makokoba, the SOS Social Centre family strengthening programme is working with community members to set up a community library. Lotshe School heard about the proposal and made two school rooms available to house the library/resource centre. SOS Social Centre Bulawayo provided tables and chairs, as well as both secondary and primary school text books. Children take turns to visit the library as space is still an issue and so far over forty children a week regularly use the library. However, it means that the children have a reasonable place in which to do their homework. The resource centre also promotes a reading culture and access to the materials for school that most of us would take for granted.

The library is run by Mr Vincent Nyathi, a volunteer from the community. Mr Nyathi has four children, two of whom attend Sobukhazi High and two who attend Lotshe School. The four children attend school now that the family is being supported by the SOS Social Centre as part of the "back to school" programme. The family came to the attention of SOS Children's Village Bulawayo as Mr Nyathi had retired from teaching due to ill health and the family were finding it hard to make ends meet. Now that the family is being supported by the SOS Social Centre, not only are the children back at school, but Mr Nyathi is able to get the anti-retroviral drugs that he needs to stay healthy. He also says that the opportunity to work again as a volunteer has helped him to feel better about his family and personal situation. Due to Mr Nyathi's diligence in his work at the library, both as librarian and homework supervisor, several children have become regular visitors and have vowed to improve their school work with his assistance.

The community is very proud of the library/resource centre and several have commented that once the children start to use the centre they are less likely to want to hang around in the streets and get into trouble."Indawo iyakhuthaza abantwana ukuthi bathande isikolo..." said Mrs Mathetshane, grandmother to some of the children who are also part of the programme: "The library encourages children to love education..."