On a Thursday morning, with dark clouds threatening, I arrived at Kudzanai Bus Terminus here in Gweru, Zimbabwe, where I live. Typical of any other African country, the terminus was teeming with vendors, travelers and people of different social backgrounds, mixing and mingling, selling their wares. It is summer time in Zimbabwe and the rains are with us. There was a heavy downpour for an hour.

 

 

At long last, the Tauya Bus Service, that plies the route to MatendaSchool where I was destined, arrived. I quickly rushed to be first into the bus, as other passengers pushed, shoved and squeezed each other. I held my luggage firmly. “Order, order, order everybody, queue properly!” shouted the conductor through the window. The bus was soon full up and the vendors came along, shouting their lungs out. “Bananas! Bread! Cabbages, cabbages! Don’t forget your box of matches!” they shouted as they competed for customers.

 

 

“Today, I think we will have a good journey and arrive safely, this bus looks in good condition”, remarked a short, bulky man with puffy cheeks who was munching roasted mealies. As soon as he had said this, the driver started the engine and we were pulling out of the terminus on our way to MatendaSchool.

 

 

After two hours of travelling, we were now on a bumpy dirt road, so treacherous and dangerous. With the heavy rains currently pounding the Zimbabwean countrywide, the state of the roads is so awful, with potholes, gullies and overflowing ditches. Soon the bus was swinging sideways, shaking us as the driver struggled to keep it on track. The bus roared with such a deafening noise as it traversed the difficult terrain. I held on to my box of books with care, fearing that the impact of the bumpy road would throw out all the contents. The elderly man seated beside me could see that I was not at ease but assured me that the bus would pull through.

 

 

At three thirty, late in the afternoon, I arrived at MatendaSchool. The SDC Chairman was the first person to see and greet me. “Welcome!” he said, embracing me with delight. We walked into the school yard as five pupils came racing towards us, screaming with joy. “Is it him? Yes! Yes! I know him! Me too!!” they shouted in excitement.

 

 

These are the pupils who had brought me this far in my efforts to reach out to the children of this poor rural area. Matenda School was built in 1927 at Danger, near the Chionekano Range of mountains through which the Lundi River passes. The School was originally run by the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, like other Schools in Zvishavane North, but has since been taken over by the government and is now controlled by Runde Rural Council. Matenda Primary School is a cluster resource centre where six schools meet to discuss academic and sporting issues. It is also a ward centre where community leaders, including traditional leaders, meet to discuss community problems and developmental strategies. The School has produced a number of notable personalities. However, the current economic, social and political conditions prevailing in Zimbabwe have not spared it and the buildings are in a bad state.

 

 

It took me some time to plead for professional support to get books for the poor rural communities. Books are expensive and beyond the reach of many people, whose concern is only to get food on the table in these turbulent times.

 

Having been privileged in late November 2007 to get a credit line, amounting to two hundred dollars in local currency, from a kind donor in the United Kingdom to buy children’s books from Weaver Press here in Harare, Zimbabwe, the next task was to take these books to the intended beneficiaries.

 

 

With Zimbabwe’s economy in the doldrums, it takes great determination to plan, communicate and gather adequate material and financial resources to travel. As I stated in my letter that appeared in The Zimbabwean newspaper on 20^th December 2007, there is much untapped talent in the rural schools and a hunger for books out there. I am also reminded of Doris Lessing’s piece in The Guardian (a British newspaper) in which she talks of the hunger for books in Zimbabwe. This article has been a source of inspiration to me, for who else will come to the rescue of these socially, economically, and culturally marginalized rural schools and communities? On 24th January 2008, after mobilizing all my financial and material resources together, and getting the necessary paperwork for the Book Presentation Programme, my journey was on.

 

 

The following morning, at around eleven thirty, all was set for the Book Presentation at MatendaSchool, despite the bad weather. It was a great privilege to have the local Chief with us together with the SDC Chairman, Deputy Headmaster, School Staff and pupils. First we were treated to poems read by some of the children. Then I stood up to give my speech. I gave a brief review of some of the books, by writers including Chenjerai Hove, Shimmer Chinodya, Yvonne Vera and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, all but one of whom are Zimbabwean writers.

 

 

Talking about “Chairman of Fools” by Shimmer Chinodya sent everybody into stitches, including the Chief, when I translated the title into our Shona vernacular language. The pupils enjoyed my review of “Tale of Tamari”, also written by Shimmer Chinodya, in which Tamari, a fourteen-year old girl, loses both parents and lives with her brother Kuda. In their house most of the rooms are let out to three lodgers by their Uncle Band, just to keep an eye on them, but the uncle is not concerned with their welfare but with how much money he can make from the rent he gets from the tenants. According to Shimmer Chinodya, this tale gives a varied slice of life in Zimbabwe today, as orphans make their way into the future. I could see that some of the pupils were very touched as they listened attentively. Shimmer Chinodya’s other book “Strife”, that won the Noma Award for 2007, was really captivating, as was Yvonne Vera’s “Stone Virgins”.

 

 

Following the presentation of the books, everybody had a chance to touch and open the books. This gave me the opportunity to mingle with the teachers as they related to me their problems in ensuring that the pupils read fluently. One said that they would introduce a reading period, while some lady teachers who coordinate the Girl Child Movement told me that they were going to set up a drama club to teach the girls good survival skills. As we joked, laughed and exchanged greetings, I could see that there was an air of love and harmony. Even the pupils were in joyous mood. I took this opportunity to take some photos, some of which you can see here. Such was the happy mood at this book presentation event.

 

 

To finish the event, the Chief then stood up to give a Vote of Thanks in appreciation of my work, saying to me, “your kindness, love and concern for our School and our community is so great, but remember that at this School we also have orphans”. He continued, “they need support with school materials like exercise books, ballpoints, pencils and rulers to write their school work, so I plead with you to remember them the next time you come”. This appeal touched me. Such is the plight of the poor rural child, but this will galvanize me to put more effort into my voluntary work.

 

 

As I travelled back to Gweru, gazing out at some of the poor maize crops in the fields, I wondered where the parents would get financial and other material resources to send these children to school. The kind donor from the UK has brought a new beginning to my voluntary work. I appeal to concerned individuals and organizations to extend your warm hand of love and friendship through material and financial support. As I make this appeal, I personally realize that the need to play a fulfilling role in society takes into account passion and professional zeal as well as harmonious relationships with those who have the resources. As a librarian, I have always loved to have that human touch, which is the desire to ensure that those who seek information get it and use it to fulfil their desire for new knowledge. I have now reached that stage where I feel proud of myself as I am now realizing the early fruits of hard work. To all of you out there, let us work together to bring a beacon of hope to MatendaSchool, and so many other schools like it throughout Zimbabwe.