Capacitation on Basic Writing and Reading Skills for Out of School Adolescents – Forum for African Women Educationalists: FAWE

“I can now write my name and surname which I could not do before I started attending lessons under the Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe Chapter (FAWEZI) community learning center. I can also recite the alphabet without making a mistake,” these are the words of Linda (not real name), a 12-year-old girl from Beitbridge District who has never attended formal school.

Linda is among the four learners out of a class of forty in Nuli community center who did not have basic literacy and numeracy skills and the community learning has offered them a chance to learn the basics through attending learning and mentorship sessions for a five-month period under the Education in Emergencies project.

The project has managed to retain most of its learners as the children have shown interest in the community learning with some being integrated into formal school. A total of 79 learners (45 girls and 34 girls) from Beitbridge and Matobo Districts have been re integrated into formal education.

Representatives from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) also commended the project for offering the out of school children a chance at education.

“This was a great achievement and we are glad FAWEZI came in with a program which targeted the forgotten child and gave them hope for education. As MoPSE we now see things differently and have managed to also help those who were out of school because they could not collect their grade 7 results,” Said Agrippa Sibanda, Beitbridge MoPSE representative.