WESTPORT,
Conn. (July
18, 2011) –
Save the
Children
staff, local
officials,
teachers,
parents and
children
broke ground
this past
Friday for
construction
of the new
Matau
Primary
School
buildings in
Zvipani,
Zimbabwe.
Construction
will begin
this month
and is
expected to
be completed
by September
2012.
The Matau
Primary
School
project
is funded
through the
Oprah
Winfrey
Foundation
in honor of
Oprah’s
all-time
favorite
guest,
Tererai
Trent,
who grew up
in the rural village of Matau, longing to go to school. Through
extraordinary
determination,
Tererai’s
dream of
getting an
education
was realized
years later,
but she
never forgot
the children
in her own
village,
wanting them
to have the
same
opportunity
to follow
their dreams
and realize
their
potential.
The donation
to the Matau Primary School
project was
announced on
May 20,
2011, during
one of the
final
"Oprah" show
episodes.
The new
school will
have 850
students,
and will
include new
latrines,
new
classrooms,
new homes
for
teachers, a
preschool
playground
and a school
administration
building. In
addition,
some 4,000
preschoolers
and
school-age
children
from Matau
and
neighboring
villages
will be
reached
through
early
education
programs and
a
community-wide
literacy
program.
More than
2,000 people
gathered on
the school
campus to
hear remarks
from a Save
the Children
representative,
local
government
officials
and
education
officials.
Many
families
walked for
miles under
the morning
sun and
along dirt
roads to
attend the
ceremonial
groundbreaking
and show
their
support for
the
education
project.
“This is a
special day.
A day for us
to
celebrate,
for
education is
the light
that will
lead our
children
into a
brighter
tomorrow,”
said Sharon
Hauser, Save
the
Children’s
acting
country
director in
Zimbabwe. “This project is important
not only for
the
rehabilitation
of the
school
buildings
here, but
also for the
improvements
we will make
together in
increasing
children’s
ability to
read, and in
nurturing
preschool
children to
grow and
develop into
successful
students and
citizens.”
Tererai
Trent, who
could not
attend the
groundbreaking,
sent a
special
message to
the
children,
which was
read at the
ceremony,
“My heart is
filled with
joy when I
imagine
thousands of
you sitting
in these
classrooms,
starting
your journey
to becoming
the finest
women and
men you
aspire to
be,” said
Tererai
Trent. “Make
the world
proud. Show
the world it
is
achievable,
Tinogona.”
Read
Tererai’s
full
remarks.
The
education
project has
$1.5 million
in funding
from the
Oprah
Winfrey
Foundation.
In addition,
Oprah
viewers
across the
United States,
inspired by
Tererai’s
incredible
story of
achievement
against all
odds, have
contributed
nearly
$60,000 to
date through
the purchase
of
“Tinogona”
t-shirts,
exclusively
designed by
Tererai.
Tinogona
means “It is
Achievable”
in the local
Shona
language.
T-shirts are
available
here.
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