“If there was no one to help me to pay my school fees then I would have dropped out of school…I want to thank those from Tariro girls program who are helping us to pay school fees.”
– Elizabeth M., Tariro student

Founded in 2003, Tariro is dedicated to empowering and educating young women and girls in the high-density neighborhoods of Harare, Zimbabwe. Over the years, we have supported more than 300 girls through secondary education by providing all-inclusive tuition sponsorships that cover school fees, exam fees, uniforms, and school supplies. A significant number of Tariro’s students have gone on to enrol at various university or post-secondary institutions.

According to the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey 2015, 70% of new HIV infections are found in adolescent girls. Young women in communities affected by HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe are in extreme jeopardy of dropping out of school due to extreme poverty and an inability to pay school fees. Leaving school puts young women at high risk of contracting HIV in large part because many young women leaving school are turning to prostitution, exposing them to HIV infection.

Tariro’s work with Zimbabwean girls emphasizes the importance of women’s education and empowerment as an effective response to the AIDS epidemic. Attending school dramatically reduces the risk that young Zimbabwean women will become infected with HIV/AIDS. By educating young women, Tariro empowers them to build a future free from poverty and disease and ensures our students have the opportunity to live prosperous and fulfilling lives as valued members of their communities.

Sponsorship for orphaned girls

Since it was founded, Tariro has expanded from a dozen sponsored students to 43 sponsored students in 2017. All of our students have been severely affected by poverty and disease, and many have lost one or both parents to illness. Typically, our girls live with extended family members who serve as their guardians, keeping with traditional practices of caring for orphaned children in Zimbabwean communities. Tariro identifies students for our program by consulting with with community leaders, including headmasters at local schools, church elders, and traditional leaders.

For each of our sponsored students, Tariro provides a comprehensive range of services, including:

• paying for school and examination fees
• purchasing uniforms and supplies
• making textbooks available through a lending library
• providing academic support services such as tutoring
• offering extra-curricular activities including life-skills workshops
• participation in Tariro’s traditional music and dance ensemble
• home and school visits to check on the well-being of our students.

Tarrio has students at all levels of education from primary school to tertiary, including one student at a special needs school. The majority of Tariro students are enrolled at the secondary-school level. The costs of attending secondary school are much higher than those of attending primary school, and girls who have been orphaned by AIDS are especially likely to drop out once they are faced with the higher costs of continuing their education. Financial assistance during secondary school is therefore critical to keeping young women orphans in school.

Tariro commits to supporting each of our students through the completion of secondary school. When possible, Tariro supports our highly successful students at the tertiary level or helps them identify scholarships to continue their education.

Investing in Academic Success

Beyond school and exam fees, Tariro provides essential academic support to our sponsored students that makes attending school possible. By providing school uniforms, school supplies, bus fare, and feminine hygiene products, Tariro ensures our students are always able to attend school and have all the supplies they need. We also support our students’ academic and future success by offering a lending library, tutoring, and mentoring.

• Textbook lending library. In 2007, Tariro established a lending library available to all of our students. Our lending library includes textbooks in all secondary school subjects for the exams our students take during secondary school. The library also includes a selection of fiction and nonfiction materials that give students the opportunity to expand their horizons as readers. Shelves donated by the US Embassy in Harare house our book collection, which continues to grow as we receive additional donations.
• Extra-curricular tutoring program. Tariro is committed to providing extra-curricular activities designed to supplement what our students learn in the classroom and to increase their chances of success in passing their exams. Tariro regularly provides tutoring for our sponsored students in areas where they need extra help. Tariro students enrolled at tertiary institutions, volunteers from the community, and alumnae from the Tariro program provide this essential aspect of the support we provide to the girls.
• Mentoring. Our students dream big dreams about their academic and professional future. Whenever possible, Tariro links our students with university students or professionals working in the fields our students would like to enter. Mentors have come from the local community, volunteers, sponsored Tariro students at the tertiary level, and from organizations that have provided grants to Tariro.

A Holistic Approach

Tariro continues to evolve our psycho-social support and protection activities. Research shows that this type of support not only helps improve school retention and outcomes but also helps to fully empower and equip our students to break the cycle of poverty and disease.

• Home and School Visits. An aspect that is quite unique to Tariro is that our staff engage with the girls’ teachers and family through regular home and school visits. These visits encourage communications between Tariro, our students, and their families and teachers and help us provide the support our students need to succeed.
• Monthly Meetings. Tariro holds monthly student sessions that focus on important life skills such as self-esteem, communication, dating, career guidance, HIV/AIDS prevention, self-control, gender-based violence awareness and advocacy, and sexual and reproductive health. To help build students’ confidence and self-esteem, the girls themselves often take the opportunity to facilitate the discussions and sessions.
• Annual Empowerment Camp. Since 2007, Tariro has held an annual empowerment camp that is the centerpiece of our HIV education and prevention work with our students. The camp gives our students the opportunity to discuss sensitive topics in a safe and supportive environment. Activities offered at the camp include small group discussions; individual and group counseling sessions; and a range of expressive activities such as theatre, song, poetry, and art therapy. The goal of the camp is to enable our students to open up dialogue on difficult issues including sexuality, HIV/AIDS, trauma, grief, and abuse.
• Traditional Music and Dance. Very popular with our students is Tariro’s traditional music and dance ensemble. Our ensemble not only allows the girls to develop their music and dance skills, but also provides them with key psycho-social support through its emphasis on well-being and community. Tariro employs a music and dance instructor who takes the girls through their paces every Saturday. The girls are taught mbira, marimba, hosho, African drums, and traditional dance and perform at local events.

Join us as we bring tariro – hope – to many girls who face a bleak future. Please donate now and learn how to get more involved.