Hi all

All of us at Tariro hope you and yours are faring well. For over 18 years, Tariro has worked hard to ensure the right to education for girls and young women living in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.

Find below the link to our 2021 Annual Report

Thank you all for the great support.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LnTID7ny2EZQAVSlKW5bJbKFkKWMbyeG/view?usp=sharing

Hi all

All of us at Tariro hope you and yours are faring well during these unprecedented and complex times. For over 17 years, Tariro has worked hard to ensure the right to education for girls and young women living in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.

Find below the link to our 2020 Annual Report .

Thank you all for the great support.

Download here

Zimbabwe is currently facing serious socio-economic problems, a situation that has resulted in various challenges throughout many institutions including the health and education sector. The situation has been compounded by the COVID 19 pandemic.

According to a 2020 UNICEF report – The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe has continued to deteriorate due to multiple natural hazards, including drought and related food insecurity, flooding and the risk of epidemic/disease outbreaks. In addition, the continuing socio-economic downturn, characterized by hyperinflation (481 per cent in the first quarter of 2020), is limiting the provision of and access to basic services. Some 6.7 million people, including 3.2 million children, are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Children are the ones who inherit the worst of this period’s adverse consequences with girls being the most affected; the achievements that had been made with regards to girls have been disproportionately affected by factors such as COVID-19 and economic recession.

COVID-19

Zimbabwe has recorded more than 35000 positive cases and more than 1400 deaths. The coronavirus outbreak created unprecedented events in living memory and the challenges of lockdown have affected us all.  Schools (gradually) reopened their doors after months of lockdown while many parents and pupils remain worried and anxious. The loss of livelihoods and the economic downturn means many families won’t be able to afford to send their children to school.  Household contributions account for a significant share of education costs in Zimbabwe. Students from poorer households are likely to face increased pressure to drop out of school and work to support the household.

Your Support

Tariro this year is supporting 61 students – 7 currently in tertiary institutions, 4 potential University students, 13 in primary school and 37 in secondary school. Thanks to our sponsors and supporters we will be able to get them back into school.

The school calendar has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the teacher strikes that occurred almost immediately once schools were starting to reopen, following the first wave of the pandemic, have made things worse. Given that the provision of education and educational support is at the core of our mission, it was decided that we must respond in new and innovative ways to ensure learning continuity and ongoing psychosocial support. In the fall of 2020, the Board examined the roster of students, assessed where they are in their schooling and looked at urgent needs and ways forward to address those needs. These are some of the measures put in place:

• Study support for secondary school students.
• Learning continuity for primary students: 13 primary students were brought together and are being taught by one contracted teacher at Chembira Elementary for up to 3 months with a review at the end of this period.

Your donations can help us fund the above support interventions.

• 65 USD you can support extra tuition of our 13 primary school students for 1 month.
• 40 USD can support extra lessons for one high school student for a month.

As COVID-19 has shaken our everyday lives, all vital institutions have had to undergo serious changes in the way they function, and the education sector has been no exception and there the continuous distribution of knowledge is shifting to online learning. However, online learning is exclusionary as the majority of our students cannot afford online learning compatible gadgets and the cost of data is prohibitive. Tariro is appealing to its supporters to support our initiative to buy laptops for the students we support.

• 100 USD will enable us to buy one refurbished laptop.

Donate towards our cause through our website www.tariro.org

Dear Friend of Tariro,

As 2020 comes to a close, we are all reflecting on the challenges and difficulties for us all. As we know, COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted the poorest communities and countries, compounding already fragmented healthcare and educational systems, such as we see in Zimbabwe. Tariro hopes that we can again call on your financial support on this Giving Tuesday (see below), and help us to continue providing life saving and sustaining measures to some of Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable – orphaned girls.

MAKE A DONATION TODAY

Orphan girls are at risk for an array of obstacles and adverse outcomes in normal times- all of which have been markedly exacerbated by the worldwide pandemic. Repeated lockdowns and the disastrous effect on Zimbabwe’s already struggling economy has

• Disrupted schooling and direct education
• Prevented students from paying tuition, uniforms and other needed educational supports
• Increased the risk for social isolation, child marriage and/or pregnancy
• Increased risk of trafficking
• Increased risk of HIV/AIDS infection after years of gains made to lower its incidence

Tariro recognizes and hails education as a basic human right, which should be available to all children regardless of their gender or socioeconomic status. By working with young women and girls in communities affected by HIV/AIDS, Tariro seeks to meet the challenge of ensuring that even the most vulnerable Zimbabwean children have access to education. Through a holistic approach, we serve the whole child, giving hope for better health, education, and a safer and more secure environment. Please visit our website at www.tariro.org to find out more about Tariro.

GIVING TUESDAY

Giving Tuesday is was a two days ago ; please join us in a celebration of generosity and good.

Tariro’s girls have greatly benefited from the collective efforts and generosity from people like you. THANK YOU! You have inspired and helped so many students’ lives in very positive ways.

In the past, your contributions have helped to answer the calls of struggling students, orphaned girls, and support them to stay in school. And while we could not have predicted what would have happened this past year, nor what is to be expected in the upcoming months, your assistance has supported students throughout ongoing lockdowns, school closures and subsequent teacher strikes. Tariro was able to:

Quickly pivot to provide food hampers and sanitary pads

Provide over 650 regular wellness checks and counselling through home visits

Hire an external teacher to support Primary School students to continue their studies while unable to attend regular classes.

Hire an external teacher to help Secondary School and Senior Level students continue their studies AND prepare for their obligatory sitting exams in the coming months.

Provide internet services and data for students attending University, which allows for the continuity of learning through online platforms.

You can make a huge difference …. Please make a donation today

DONATE NOW TO HELP ZIMBABWEAN GIRLS

Tariro’s mission – Tariro sees education is a basic human right, which should be available to all children regardless of their gender and social-economic status. By working with young women and girls in communities affected by HIV/AIDS, Tariro seeks to meet the challenge of ensuring that even the most vulnerable Zimbabwean children have access to education.

Founded in 2003, Tariro works in Zimbabwe to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS by educating young women. Located in the high-density neighbourhoods of  Harare, Tariro enables young women who have been orphaned by AIDS to complete secondary school education, thereby dramatically reducing their risk of early pregnancy, early marriage and infection with HIV/AIDS.

Student’s Highlights 

Meet Makanaka…Tariro frequently encounters girls like Makanaka who, after both her parents passed away, was taken care of by her grandmother who struggled with sending her to school. She risked dropping out of school but, buoyed by her academic prowess, her grandmother would beg the authorities at Chembira Primary School to keep her in school. Her grandmother, despite her advanced age, would engage in menial jobs at the school to raise money for her tuition, but in most cases, this would not cover the full amount and Makanaka be sent home until they could fully cover the cost, losing out on vital education (a common occurrence in Zimbabwean schools). Makanaka was referred to Tariro by the school headmaster, the rest is history! For her Grade 7 examinations, she scored straight A’s in all her subjects, and as a current high school student, she dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Makanaka’s story is not unique, but it reminds us of the many girls who fall through just the cracks because of deep poverty.

Over the last 8 years, Tariro has supported Vimbai and throughout this pandemic. She has demonstrated hard work, innovation and creativity. To make ends meet in the Covid-19 induced lockdown, one of our students, Vimbai, who is a second-year Sociology major at Midlands State University, has resorted to popping maize corn for resale. Proceeds from her small enterprise have been used to buy internet data to enable her to access her university online lessons and to also put food on the table. The money she raised was not enough. Tariro has provided her with sanitary pads and has since the COVID-19induced lockdown, provided her family with cash grants twice to enable the family to buy food and things like hand soap.  While she relies on Tariro for support for her tuition and accommodation fees, Vimbai has not sat on her laurels and is contributing to her education and upkeep in her own way.  Since she was in Form One, eight years ago, Tariro has been supporting Vimbai with her tuition fees and other supplies.

Tariro’s Response to COVID-19 in Zimbabwe, by the numbers:

Pictured here is our Social Worker, Vera at a home wellness check-in during the COVID-19 pandemic. with one of our students and her guardian.

Tariro needs your help to continue to support girls’ education and wellbeing. Please donate to today. Thank you!

(Image :Sekuru Magaya playing his mbira in 2014)

We at Tariro mourn the loss of our founding board member Sekuru Cosmas Magaya, who died of COVID-19 on July 10, 2020. In addition to his work with Tariro, Sekuru Magaya was also an internationally renowned mbira player, a village headman in Mhondoro, and a founding member of two other non-profit organizations, Nhimbe for Progress and Humwe. We send our condolences to Sekuru Magaya’s family, community, student, and many friends around the world.

(Image: Tariro Program Coordinator Fadzie Muzhandu in the Tariro library in 2008)

Sekuru Magaya and his family were involved in Tariro since the beginning. His daughter, Tsitsi Magaya, helped select “Tariro,” or “Hope,” as our organization’s name. In our early years, Sekuru Magaya was integral in selecting our beneficiaries, who were initially split between his rural area of Mhondoro and the urban townships of Glen Norah and Highfield. He made many trips in his pick-up truck to pay school fees, and to purchase and deliver uniforms and other supplies to these early beneficiaries.

After Tariro hired a full-time program coordinator in 2006, Sekuru Magaya continued to participate actively as a member of Tariro’s Board of Trustees in Zimbabwe. During the economic and political crisis of 2008-2009, for example, he helped to organize emergency food relief for our students and their families.

(Image: Sekuru Magaya pictured with Tariro students and US visitor Virginia Barrett in 2003)

Sekuru Magaya even set aside room in his father’s home in Glen Norah to serve as an office, library, and community space for our students. Located at the heart of the communities we serve, this space offered an accessible hub for our students to meet with Tariro staff, receive tutoring, and pick up books and other supplies. Sekuru Magaya and his family regularly hosted Tariro’s international visitors, including our founder Jennifer Kyker, who stayed with his family for several months in 2008.

A memorial fund has been established in Sekuru Magaya’s name through the Kutsinhira Cultural Arts Center, which organized many of his US tours. Donations to the Magaya Memorial Fund will help to cover funeral expenses for Sekuru Magaya, as well as COVID-19 testing and medical expenses necessary for the 10+ family members who cared for him during his illness. Any remaining funds will go to the organization Humwe (The Cosmas Magaya Cultural Arts & Education Center). To donate, please visit:

https://kutsinhira.org/sekuru-cosmas-magaya-memorial-fund/

(Image: Tariro students receiving emergency food relief in Mhondoro)

Sekuru Magaya’s legacy will live on in many ways. Among them are the books he wrote with ethnomusicologist Paul Berliner, his own family’s dedication to upholding the tradition of Zimbabwean mbira music through Humwe, the many students’ lives he transformed through Tariro, and the community development work he did through Nhimbe for Progress and as a village headman in Mhondoro.

On behalf of all of our students, families, board members, and staff, Tariro sends our condolences to Sekuru Magaya’s family, students, and friends. To you we say, “Nematambudziko” or “We share your sorrow.”

~Jennifer Kyker (Founder)

Obituary for Noleen

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing on of Noleen Chandamare on the 6^th of June, 2020 at 0210 hours at Norton Hospital after a short illness. Noleen was one of the students we have supported over the years. She passed on aged 21.

I remember the first time I met Noleen, she was full of life and was grateful for having finally met me in person. Noleen had a medical condition known as spina bifida, which confined her to a wheelchair. She had a hearty laugh and before we even talked much she was all over thanking Tariro for all she had done for her and begging me that I should come to see her compete in the wheelchair race and see how good she was.

As we all know, there were things that Noleen couldn’t do. She couldn’t walk. She couldn’t do many things other people take for granted every day. When some people looked at her, that’s what they saw – the things she couldn’t do. But that’s not what we saw, and that’s not who she was. I’m sure that when her mother, her father and her family looked at her, they seldom saw what she couldn’t do. No, they saw the many things she could do. She could smile. She could laugh. She could feel unbridled happiness. She particularly enjoyed the opportunity to participate in special activities at St. Giles and Danhiko and had become a “pro” in wheelchair racing. She just had completed a vocational training course in hairdressing.

There are people who have so many blessings that Noleen never had, and yet don’t appreciate those blessings. They have good health but they take it for granted. They can walk but they don’t know which way to go. There were more things she could do. She inspired others to try harder. By seeing her work hard to overcome her own challenges, it reminded others to work harder as well. She helped teach us about our own strengths and gifts in this way. She also taught us how to be happy because she took joy in simple things – joy in seeing her family, joy in seeing us his extended family, joy in seeing her friends.

We could look to her for an example of perseverance and inner strength, as she continued to fight battles in health and limitations that would crush many of us. She showed us what it is to be strong because strength is not just found in being the biggest, the toughest or the fastest. Strength is found in one who keeps on going, keeps trying, day after day, and long after others give up. Strength is found in one who knows success isn’t always big and flashy but knows that sometimes the greatest success is found in the tiniest of victories.

Just think of all the gifts that Noleen gave us. Through her vulnerabilities, she gave us the gift of insight and showed us things we might otherwise have missed. Noleen gave us the gift of perspective. She reminded us that most of our problems are not really problems, and to be grateful for what we have. We must savour the sweet, beautiful moments we have every day because ultimately life is fragile and someday all too soon, we must say goodbye.

She taught us about kindness and patience because it took a lot of love, patience and dedication to care for her needs day after day. To nurture someone so completely, and to do it for so long, takes dedication and depth of love that is hard to comprehend for those who haven’t done it. It is truly loving without condition, and it is perhaps the most beautiful and pure example of love that exists. She made that kind of love exist. She made it possible.

And finally, Noleen gave us the gift of beauty. Her life wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t glamorous. There were a lot of hard times, for her and for her family, friends and us. But she taught us that we can see past the difficulties and find the beauty, for there is always beauty.

For instance, imagine there is a day when you have big plans, big expectations, but you get up in the morning and it’s raining. The sky is dark and it’s windy and miserable. Why it rained today, you ask. Of all the days, why today? Why did it mess up my plans? It’s not what I expected. It’s not what I planned for. It’s not what was supposed to happen.

But if you look hard you may still find the beauty in it all. When you look out at the rain, you may see puddles and storm clouds and mud. You may see grey skies and raindrops and dreariness. Or you might look deeper and see how the rain nourishes the earth, settles the seeds and gives them roots so they can grow. You may see how the water flows from the sky to the earth to the sea and back again to the sky in a great cycle that never ends. And you might also look up to the heavens and see the rainbow and remember that it is only because we have endured through the storm that we are lucky enough to see the rainbow.

Noleen was our rainbow. Through the tough times, through the adversity and the challenges and the pain, she shone through with a special light. It’s not fair that she shone brightly for only a short time and then left us. Yet we can be assured that like the rainbow, she was a blessing from above. We can both mourn the loss of her life and we can celebrate the life she led and the lessons she gave us. For the best gift, she gave us, was her very life. She was a gift. For all the ways she taught us about life and love, for all the ways she inspired us to be better, and for all the love she gave while she was here with us, she was a gift to each of us. May we never forget this beautiful gift.   May we give strength and support to her family as they find their way in this world without her. And may we honour her memory every time we look up to the sky, look past the clouds and see the rainbow.

Through generous donations from all our sponsors, Tariro was able to make a difference in Noleen’s life as through their donations she able to attend school at St. Giles and Danhiko where she also  got special care for her condition

***In Memory of Noleen Chandamare ***

The world is currently swept up in a storm, with COVID-19 forcing countries into lockdowns of various degrees. World populations have been affected differently, and yet of the different groups within a society impacted, women and girls may be the most affected. Crises impact the lives of women and girls disproportionately, and a crisis of this scale has severe ramifications on their lives; their safety, health, education, reproductive health and earning capacity. Across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection, the impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and girls simply by virtue of their sex. According to the UN, Early data indicates that the mortality rates from COVID-19 may be higher for men. But the pandemic is having devastating social and economic consequences for women and girls.

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus, officially named SARS-CoV-19. The virus was first detected in Wuhan, a city in the Hubei Province of China in December 2019. On January 30 this year, the World Health Organisation declared it a “public health emergency of international concern”, and on March 11, WHO declared it a pandemic. Zimbabwe recorded its first confirmed case on March 20. On the 27^th of March, the president of the country declared the disease a national disaster and announced a three-week nationwide lockdown, later extended by another 4  weeks.

The lockdown declared most activities, except essential services and the production of essential goods, illegal. Schools, markets, businesses, companies and organizations closed down. Church services, weddings, and a host of other activities were banned. Movement for the majority of the population was severely limited.

Affected earning capacity

While this undoubtedly affects everyone, women and girls will feel the impact harder than the male population. Without the freedom to continue earning their income through trade, mothers and female providers are more easily exploited in exchange for goods or money. In the absence of legitimate ways of earning an income, young girls and women resort to prostitution, exposing themselves to disease, assault and unfair compensation for services rendered.

In the face of an illness that requires social distancing, close contact behaviour only places women at risk of acquiring COVID-19 along with STIs. For girls, child labour is a real threat with levels of unemployment sky-rocketing. Zimbabwe already has a high rate, but with disrupted trade and supply chains because of travel restrictions, businesses are affected, and employees are often the first to suffer. In an effort to contribute to the household income, girls may be forced into selling cheap labour.

Exposure to gender-based violence

Forcing nations into lockdown may slow the spread of the virus and buy countries time to capacitate their health systems, but women and girls pay heavily for the ‘greater good approach’. Those who live in abusive homes are now continuously forced to be in the presence of their abusers with no reprieve. With the focus entirely on COVID-19, will any resources be spared by local authorities to fight gender-based violence? Will they prioritize cases of abuse or assault when they are reported?

Increase in duties

As women and girls tend to fill in the role of caregiver and homemaker, their duties are likely to increase if a family member becomes ill with COVID-19 or any other non-fatal illness. With health ministries’ discouraging people from visiting hospitals and encouraging people with mild COVID-19 symptoms to stay home and avoid overwhelming the health system, young female members of the household may find themselves sacrificing their education to look after a sick parent, sibling or relative.

This means that even when the world returns to a form of normalcy, these girls and young women are unlikely to return to the lives they knew and will lose the hope of a future they had. Women are also likely to give up their careers temporarily or step back from their enterprises to cater to a sick family member, and it may be challenging to get back on track after the family member recovers or dies.

Traditionally considered as hewers of wood and drawers of water, the search for water for domestic use has been increasingly feminized. Women constitute the biggest number of people crowding water points all over the world, and they invest many hours queuing for the precious liquid. Many households need an average of 200 litres of water per day for bathing, cooking and ablution purposes.

In Zimbabwe, most city and town councils are struggling to provide running water for residents, the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has increased the demand for water. But with huge numbers crowding the few available water points (community boreholes) in areas where council water is not available, implementing social distancing – classified as one of the ways to minimize potential transmission – becomes almost impossible and women are extremely exposed to the virus.

Neo-natal and maternal health care

Maternal health care is another aspect of women’s lives that has taken a hit because of COVID-19. Governments are diverting resources towards managing the pandemic, and as a result, other crucial health services are often side-lined. In Zimbabwe, women living in remote areas are likely to feel the impact more than women in peri-urban and urban centres. Clinics in rural areas sometimes rely on donor funding, but with the imposed movement restriction, it would be difficult to transport resources to these areas. At the time of writing, April 2020, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are only permitted to continue operations in food distribution and COVID-19 related movement.

In the case of Zimbabwe, without adequate maternal health care, women are in danger of dying during or after childbirth, there could be an increase in infant mortality, and in the transmission of HIV from mother to child. The consequences of COVID-19 and local government’s response to it could see women die from non-COVID related issues.

Sanitary ware

Lastly, girls in disadvantaged settings in rural Zimbabwe who rely on donated sanitary wear may not be able to receive their supplies because of the quarantine and diversion of resources. With organizations focusing on the pandemic, it is quite easy to forget other obligations. On the other hand, donations could start to decrease because all the attention is currently taken up elsewhere. It is difficult to fundraise when the world’s attention is entirely absorbed by another problem that also demands money and resources.

While the world is focusing on the COVID-19 death toll and fast spread, other areas of people’s lives are suffering because of it. Women and girls will suffer the most like they usually do in most crises, as studies have shown. We must not forget them; neither can we allow the progress we have made so far to disappear under the shadow of a pandemic.

What Tariro has been doing to help the situation?

COVID-19 is not only challenging global health systems and economies, but it is also testing our common humanity. Through a grant from Kutsinhira Arts Cultural Centre (United States) we have provided cash transfers to the families of the girls we support so that they can be able to buy basic commodities such as food and sanitary ware. Due to the depressed economy most people have turned to informal employment and the lockdown has cut them off from their livelihood. One of the beneficiaries of the cash transfers had this to say

Things were pretty hard for us and we did not know how we were going to survive during this lockdown as we rely on odd jobs and vending in town.  In as much as the lockdown is to protect people, my fear is no longer on the disease but it is now with the long layoff because it has put my life and that of people I support in danger there is nothing that I can do. We are really grateful for the support from Tariro, as we are now able to put food on the table.

Schools have been closed indefinitely and indications are that schools will only re-open in August and the learning process might go the e-learning way. Online classes aren’t the answer for everyone yet, especially disadvantaged children. But we hope to play our part by slowly improving access to education using everyday technology during this lockdown. Funds permitting we hope to provide the girls with internet compatible gadgets as well provide them with internet data.

We are constantly in contact with the girls and their families through cell phone calls and messages.

We continue to ask for your support during this crisis and way beyond.  Any support is greatly appreciated and will go a long way in ensuring our mission of educating and empowering the girl child as well as ensuring their emotional well-being is in the right place

Tariro remains fully committed to our mission of supporting education and the psycho-social needs for our girls Help us fulfil this mission by donating to Tariro.  https://www.paypal.me/TariroHopeandHealth