What we do

Successes so far 

There is limited support for Zimbabwe’s education system and it has become very difficult to access textbooks to support the new academic curriculum. 

 

December 2020: We are delighted to share that we managed to purchase 2,200 textbooks and that by working with Imvelo Safari Lodges, we have distributed 1,400 of these across 14 schools south of Hwange National Park's southern boundary. Read more about this  here 

 

April 2021: The remaining purchased textbooks were distributed as part of a pilot home schooling programme spearheaded by Imvelo Safari Lodges in April 2021. Read more about this and view a video about the programme  here 

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October 2021: In 2021, in the midst of a pandemic and with the support of the Zimbabwean Ministry of Education, Camelthorn Foundation worked with Imvelo Safari Lodges and a number of other partners to successfully bring in 28,000 Oxford University Press textbooks, donated but valued at £285,000, to be distributed to schools around Hwange Park in the wider Tsholotsho district.

 

The last 18 months have been extremely difficult for the Zimbabwean education system and rural schools especially have suffered. The schools in these areas are not only burdened by drought and human-wildlife conflicts, they also suffer from a lack of resources and social isolation. Add a pandemic, repeated lockdowns, hyperinflation, teacher strikes and shortages and the picture gets worse. Imvelo Safari Lodges, our local partner, has always strived to support education, not least because of its role in conservation but also as a means of facilitating socio-economic development and generating opportunities.

 

In 2022: This latest consignment of textbooks will be a gamechanger for education over the next few years and we hope to see pass rates in both primary and secondary schools increase steadily. Imvelo dedicated some time to allocating these textbooks to over 100 schools; this mega-distribution programme came to an end in February 2022 with over 119 schools in total benefitting. This is a huge celebration and thanks to all partners involved for enabling this to happen! 

 

A huge thank you to all friends and donors who have been supporting this project and to funding partners: Imvelo Safari Lodges, Hwange Schools Project, Oxford University Press Southern Africa, Love Where You Work (Echospace), Camelthorn Foundation, the D3 Foundation and Teralco Logistics.