Makomborero

Makomborero Zimbabwe is excited to finally introduce our Mutsidzira winners for 2023 projects!

Mutsidzira is an annual community grant that invites past Makomborero students to apply for financial help in order to fund their proposed projects. The main aim of this grant is to invest into and revive communities. Applicants choose a community that they want to see transform and come up with innovative ideas that can help achieve this. Mutsidzira was launched in 2020 with three projects starting in 2021, one project in 2022 and two projects in 2023 which are still going in 2024. Let’s meet Morrison and Noel, our 2023 Mutsidzira Grant recipients and find out more about them and their winning projects!

First up is Morrison. He is studying Energy and Power Systems Engineering at the University of Zimbabwe. His chosen community is the Makomborero University Residence where he currently lives. He says, ‘I just felt it right to start by changing the lives of those closest to me before I can reach for the whole country or world.’

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I’m usually studying, when I’m not studying I’m working on some projects. Most of the time I will be programming microcontrollers and thinking of ways to use them with sensors. I enjoy problem solving for everyday life issues.

Why did you apply for a Mutsidzira grant?

It’s a way I can implement/put into practice the knowledge I’m getting from university - helping my community by solving problems. I feel there is no point of getting the knowledge if it can’t help solve the daily problems we encounter.

Tell us a bit about your project

My project is in two parts, the first part is a water pump automatic switch. In my community we use water pumped from a borehole, the pump has a damaged automatic switch so there was a need for the students to switch on and off manually, which was leading to loss of pumped water during tank over-flow. I designed a circuit that is currently switching the pump off and on when necessary, the project has been running perfectly since last year.

The second part of my project consists of a homemade biogas digester. My community has been struggling with disposing organic waste and the other issue we is the expense of cooking gas. So this project aims to reduce the amount of organic waste and produce environmentally friendly low cost cooking gas. The biogas digester will be producing gas from the organic waste and we will be using this gas by end of April 2024.

What are you hoping to achieve with your project

I’m hoping my projects serve my community for at least 4 years. If my project makes it to 4 years of serving people then I will take that as a success.

Next up is Noel, a Biomedical Sciences student at the University of Zimbabwe. His chosen community is Nyatsime in Chitungwiza. ‘Because I grew up there, it's my community.’

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I'm a big football fan, I spend quite a lot of time watching and following football. I'm also an author specializing in crime fiction and romance, so naturally I spend most of my time writing my books.

Why did you apply for a Mutsidzira grant?

I had a brilliant idea and wanted to help the underprivileged in my community but lacked capital. The grant presented a perfect opportunity.

Tell us a bit about your project

We source honey from large farmers, package it into 250mg tubs and sell to various clients. We started off in Chitungwiza but now sell in most areas in Harare. We use the profits to buy writing materials (pens, pencils, rulers and math sets) for underprivileged students in Nyatsime in Chitungwiza. So far, we have distributed to 14 children in Nyatsime.

What inspired you to choose this project?

Sympathy for others and the unshakable desire to help the underprivileged in my community.

What are you hoping to achieve with your project

To have provided writing materials for around 50 students by the end of our year.

These two young men are inspiring! We love the way they take ownership of their chosen communities and are giving back right where they are. We wish them well and can’t wait to see their progress in the coming months!

Our Mobile Science Lab was started in 2017. The heart behind the lab was to give lab time to O-Level students who are not able to put their theoretical knowledge into practice due to lack of resources at their schools. The Lab is a 20-foot container, converted into a fully kitted out laboratory. Winston Churchill said ‘To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often’, We have definitely seen a few changes over the years at the lab for various reasons, one of them being Covid-19. It’s fair to say we are still finding our feet post Covid and implementing new ideas so we keep improving in what we do. Last year we said goodbye to two fantastic teachers, Tongai and Stuart who were there at the inception and we said hello to two new teachers, Nyasha and Shawn. Both are past Makomborero A-Level scholarship recipients and we thought you could get to know them! They were good enough to answer a few questions for us – even the really silly ones!

Tell us a little bit about yourself  Hi there! I'm Nyasha. I’m the last born in a family of two, currently in my fourth year of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Zimbabwe. I prefer my own company over crowded social situations and I'm very passionate about making the world better than it is. My name is Shawn T Ndebvudzemene. I'm 22 years old and I have 2 older brothers and a younger sister. I am currently studying Biomedical Sciences with intentions of pursuing a degree in Medicine at the University of Zimbabwe under the Makomborero Zimbabwe Grant scheme.

What inspired you to be a mobile science lab teacher?

NYASHA: My background. Where I did my secondary school there were limited resources for education, especially in the science field. So, to have an opportunity to share knowledge with students that are in the same shoes as I was is fulfilling. It is good to show them that there is more out there than scarcity of resources. Seeing students changing their perspective about life is one of my greatest inspirations. In short it's giving HOPE to others that drives me the most to be a Mobile Science Lab teacher.

SHAWN: I have always had a passion for Life Sciences and Biology so teaching at the lab means I am doing what I love and giving something back to the next generation. An opportunity that put these two together was so appealing to me - it seemed like a perfect fit!

How have you found the first few months of teaching in the lab?

NYASHA: Life changing! Because of the love and passion that the team I work with show, there is a sense of belonging. Little things like the grins on students’ faces when a bulb lights up during an electricity experiment or the smiles on their faces whenever a chemical changes the nature of a biological cell make it all worthwhile. I feel at home!

SHAWN: Teaching at the Mobile Science Lab has been a wonderful experience. I enjoy every step of the process working with Nyasha as we set up, teach and close the lab on Saturdays and thanks to Nyasha I was able to get into the swing of things much faster in order to capture the true essence of what we do.

What’s your favourite part about being a Mobile Lab teacher?

NYASHA: The students – it’s amazing when they start to appreciate science better.

SHAWN: I'm enjoying working with the students, watching over them as they experience Biology practicals and watching them grow to love the subject as much as I do. It truly is a pleasure watching them grow in the fun learning environment we try to create each week.

What was the naughtiest thing you ever did when you were a Makomborero A-Level student?

NYASHA: I pretended to be sick in order to skip school. I spent the whole day watching movies.

SHAWN: Now that's a hard one! I'd have to say the time I was late to a meeting with Mrs Chikowore by over an hour. She had to drive all the way back to see me once I had arrived which I'm grateful for.

What’s your favourite meal?

NYASHA: Sadza and roasted fish

SHAWN: My favorite meal would be either rice or pasta but served with banana and baked beans salad which holds so many memories for me.

How do you like spending your spare time?

NYASHA: Watching Sci-fi movies

SHAWN: In my spare time I like to watch movies, play racing games and hang out with friends.

What’s your dream for the future of the Mobile Science Lab?

NYASHA: The lab to accommodate more students and for us to do tours and fares.

SHAWN: The future of the Mobile Science Lab for me involves more sessions, adding more practicals into the rotation as well as working with more schools.

What would you say to encourage students to be part of the Mobile Science Lab?

NYASHA: It’s a rare opportunity that is life changing. Besides boosting one’s confidence and grades it also optimises one's creative mind especially in problem solving which is key for the future of humanity

SHAWN: It’s a rare experience to encounter the concepts they can only theorize and imagine in our underprivileged schools. It provides a hands on experience to learn to do it yourself and that in itself helps foster understanding and something I live by is to take any and all opportunities to better yourself.

Pet snake or pet crocodile?

NYASHA: Crocodile

SHAWN: Pet snake or pet crocodile is a hard one since they are all cold blooded reptiles but if push comes to shove I will choose a pet crocodile.

Sit still for 24 hours or walk without stopping for 24km?

NYASHA: Walk without stopping 24km

SHAWN: Sitting still and preserving my energy for 24 hours

Michael Jackson or Celine Dion?

NYASHA: Celine Dion

SHAWN: I've always liked both of the artists especially Michael Jackson. Growing up, Smooth Criminal was one of my favorite songs and the video was always interesting each time I watched it.

Holy 10 or Hillzy?

NYASHA: Holy 10

SHAWN: I'm a huge fan of Holy 10 all the way.

Despite their slightly dodgy food choices, Nyasha and Shawn are a treasured part of the Mobile Science Lab team. Within minutes in their presence they are either making you smile or making you laugh! We look forward to many more years of their hard work and infectious characters at the Makomborero Zimbabwe Mobile Science Lab.

Though Covid-19 changed so much of how we do things at Makomborero, it served a great purpose in showing us what we truly value and the traditions we aim to uphold regardless of what is thrown at us. One such tradition is the Annual Supporters Event held by our UK trustees.

Our Annual Supporters Event has been going for six years to date. A chance for Makomborero supporters to hear how their donations have helped over the year, the event was always an in person event. That was until 2020 when due to Covid-19, the event was successfully held online both in 2020 and in 2021. With the world still trying to get back to normal in 2022, it was decided to host the event online one more time and we were so pleased to be joined by supporters from all around the world!

Each year, the highlight of the Supporters Event is the students themselves and this year was no different. We heard from two university students, Shyline and Nyasha, both of whom were recipients of the Makomborero A-Level Scholarship. Once everyone had been given a warm welcome by our host for the night, UK trustee Tanatsa, we got to hear from Nyasha about his journey from getting an A-Level scholarship with us, to receiving a University Grant and then becoming a Mutsidzira Grant recipient. Our host forgot to warn us to get some tissues ready for this bit!

Nyasha's story evokes a cocktail of emotions. He takes us from being a boy born into a polygamous family in a small village, to applying for the A-Level scholarship and what that involved for him living in remote, rural Zimbabwe. He talks with deep gratitude about how his childhood dream of becoming an engineer is becoming a reality. This young man has gone back to his community and started supporting disadvantaged school children through profits from his Mutsidzira peanut butter making project. Nyasha’s story breaks and mends the heart, makes you cry and makes you smile and above all, it gives hope! You can watch it here on our YouTube channel.  Next up was Shyline, interviewed by another one of our trustees Jacqueline, live from Germany where she is currently studying. Shyline is the founder of the Zimbabwean NGO Amaani Trust, an organisation which is dedicated to improving the welfare of prisoners, ex-convicts, and their dependents through implementing transformative rehabilitation programs. Her inspiration was watching family members leave the prison system without adequate plans for rehabilitation afterwards. She runs this organisation from miles away in Germany where she is studying and she talks us through the challenges of doing this. When in Zimbabwe, she manages to go into the prisons to talk to prisoners and distribute essential items such as sanitary wear and clothes. Those who understand the prison system will have one question – how on earth has she managed to do this? Her story is one of kindness and tenacity and it comes laced with good humour. She tells it with a huge smile on her face and by the end, even those of us who were watching from our lounges were moved to give her a standing ovation.  We also got to hear from founders Mark and Laura Albertyn. Their talk and answers during the Q&A were honest and enlightening with the hallmark of deep relational themes that we have come to know of Mr and Mrs A! It was clear that Covid-19 is still having an impact in ways that most hadn’t really thought about, such as impact on the culture of the organisation. Mark and Laura talked about how Covid-19 undid a lot of the relational stuff and how staff and students are having to relearn how to navigate this new challenge. One of our trustees, Simba as well as Mark and Laura, spoke honestly about the extremely difficult financial year that Makomborero has experienced and the impact it is having – less students will be recruited and the tablets which were a study tool for external students will not be supplied in 2023. The silver lining was hearing about how students have now started paying off their University Grants, the money used to pay for those currently studying at local universities. Past students have also got into a culture of giving food stuffs or monthly donations through our various giving platforms. We also heard about the continuing focus on the mental health of students which was very encouraging! Though the last three years have seen the couple continuously pivot and ‘make a plan’ to keep Makomborero going, it was obvious that their hope was still alive, they want each year to be better than the previous one. Fighting tears, they left us with these words: ‘Don’t give up sowing seeds of hope. We really believe we want to be a family – impacting a few kids with the hope that one day they will impact the nation.’

There was an opportunity for those who were keen to give into the work of Makomborero to do so in the days that followed via ‘The Big Give’. One of our UK trustees, Nicola, took our supporters through how they could do this. ‘We have a really stretched target this year, we are trying to raise £4000 or more.’ On that evening this felt like a huge ask knowing how all around the world our sponsors were feeling the economic challenges. The campaign ran until 6^th December 2022 and we are happy to report that we smashed our target, raising a total of £12,940 including The Big Give’s matched funds. We are blown away by you, our supporters. Thank you!!

Finally, we heard from students at the Boarding House, a sweet and heart-warming video clip of the things they appreciated in the house. Then a song from our University of Zimbabwe students, Ebenezer, a song of celebration after going through hard times.

What an emotional and amazing night this was! Thank you to UK trustees for the work and time invested in making this event happen. The team modelled ‘making a plan’ so well when there was a glitch with showing the videos but Nick somehow made things work. Thank you to Mark and Laura for your heart for people and speaking so honestly about where Makomborero is at. Most of all, thank you to our donors and supporters for joining us on this night and for holding hands with us through the journey of educating the children of Zimbabwe. See you in 2023!