We assist children and youth in rural Zimbabwe to overcome barriers to education.
NUMBERS SPEAK
125,000
School meals provided per annum
263
Bikes given to long
distance students
235
Girls trained to take care of lifelong period needs
430
Textbooks delivered to the schools
64
Tonnes of maize
delivered
92
24%
Increase in girls’ enrolments
$120,000
Investment in school
infrastructure facilitated
Current for school year 2024; unless otherwise stated numbers refer to period since March 2021 when NoBarriers’ commenced its programs at the schools
OVERCOMING BARRIERS
In rural Zimbabwe, many children face barriers to completing their education. Long distances to school, hunger, lack of menstrual materials, early pregnancy, child marriage, and unaffordable school fees keep many out of school. Schools themselves are often in poor condition, old, crumbling buildings, unhygienic toilets, and unreliable water supply.
At NoBarriers, we support children to stay in school by:
- Providing daily cooked meals through food supplies.
- Distributing menstrual and toiletry kits.
- Offering sexual and reproductive health workshops.
- Subsidising school fees.
- Providing bicycles for easier access to schools.
ENCOURAGE LEARNING
Schools in rural Zimbabwe are poorly equipped, with too many students sharing limited textbooks. Frequent and long power outages—occurring 6 out of 10 days and lasting an average of 15 hours—make online learning nearly impossible.
At NoBarriers, we work to transform schools into effective “centres for learning” and motivate students to succeed by:
- Providing learning materials such as textbooks, laptops and projectors
- Installing solar systems, mobile batteries, and satellite internet to enable online learning
- Rewarding students who complete secondary school by allowing them to keep their bicycles.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES TO THRIVE
In rural Zimbabwe, formal job opportunities for school leavers are scarce. Many are left to work on family farms where, without new skills, the cycle of poverty is perpetuated.
At NoBarriers, we help break this cycle by developing students’ life skills and supporting income-generating initiatives through:
- Training in financial literacy and entrepreneurship
- Vocational skills such as sewing, agriculture, and bicycle repairs
- Supporting school community gardens
- Providing starter kits and productive assets to kickstart ventures.
Overcoming distance
Our students and teachers
With the bike I received, I now only have to wake up at 5am, before I had to get-up at 3:00am. Now, after I’ve done my chores I cycle to school, which takes me about 30-40 minutes – walking took me 2 ½ hours. Now, I arrive at school on time and no longer fall asleep. I feel confident that I will do much better at school. I hope that I will be able to have good enough results to go to college and to study to become a nurse.
Cathrine D, Hwata – Secondary School
Amidst the drought here in Zimbabwe, school meals emerge as a lifeline for our children. They not only satisfy their hunger but also serve as a catalyst for their education. …It is through school meals that we nourish both, their bodies and minds. If it wasn’t for the school meals provided at Hwata Secondary through NoBarriers, we would have a lot of school dropouts.
Matinyanya Maweto, Hwata Secondary Agriculture Teacher, Hwata Secondary
I’m 17 years old and in Form 4. My family situation is not good and there were always problems, because my father has no work. My parents can’t afford my school fees. Since a few years, NoBarriers pays my school fees and the fees for my examinations. Because of this I’m able to sit for my O-level examinations later this year. I’m hopeful that I will get good marks and will be able to continue my education to A-level.
Presiclla M, Muzarabani High School
Last year, the Rotary movement partnering with NoBarriers brought a state of the art water system to the school: borehole, electric pump, big water tanks and pipelines laid across the campus. This intervention made our water crisis to be a thing of the past. No longer do we need to work hard to pump water and carry buckets of water across the school grounds. This initiative also brought our learners state of the art, new toilets with running water for handwashing. Students now enjoy hygienic, individual toilets which are safe and private.
Nyika Sekai, Deputy Principal and Science Teacher, Hwata Secondary
