In September of 2003, we (Sheri Saltzberg and Mark Grashow) had an opportunity to visit a number of schools and orphanages in Southern Africa. There we met hundreds of children eager to learn and resolute in the belief that school held the key to their future. At every turn we found remarkable and committed teachers, eager to do anything and everything in their power to provide a more meaningful education to their students. Long meetings were held with principals, teachers, parents, and local leaders to provide a greater insight into the needs of local communities and schools. In all our discussions there was always a sense of inspiration, hope and vision for the future of the children of Southern Africa. Parents and educators stood ready to build their nation’s future through their children. They can do it, one step and one brick at a time, but they will do it. But they cannot do it alone. They need our help.

The obstacles are huge. We visited schools that had six pens for six hundred students and met children who slept on concrete floors when it was too late or too far to travel home. We found schools libraries with no books and children with HIV disease who received no medication. In one school, 700 students went with no breakfast or lunch every school day. In another, eight teachers shared a small outdoor toilet and cooked their meals under a dilapidated lean-to.

 

… Mark meeting with faculty

There were science labs with no chemicals or test tubes. We watched kids playing soccer after school using a paper ball wrapped in tape because the school did not possess a single piece of sports equipment. With each school and orphanage we visited, one thing became crystal clear. By rallying American friends and institutions, we could play a significant role in expanding and enhancing the learning environment. We came home with a new mission. The USACF, a non-for-profit organization, was founded.

  
. . . learning new skills…

Recognizing the needs of these schools and having the capacity to raise money and amass materials is only a beginning. What is crucial to the success of any such undertaking is having locally established trusted agencies organize and oversee this comprehensive effort. We found one such an organization in Zimbabwe called the Organization of Rural Associations for Progress, (ORAP). In Tanzania we helped create such an organization through the efforts of Beston Mwakinga.

ORAP was founded in 1980 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. ORAP is a grassroots organization dedicated to helping local residents and communities develop small businesses, viable agricultural and comprehensive educational systems. USACF and ORAP have been partners now for five years. We have accomplished some amazing things.

Working with ORAP, school leaders and elected officials, we formulated a plan to link dozens of schools in New York with their African counterparts. The partnerships were have three components:

 1. The students of each school will share histories, personal as well as historical, through books, letters, photos and e-mails. Students will attempt to learn as much as possible about each other’s culture and seek ways to link their worlds together.

. . . a class room in need of help

2. Four times a year 40-foot containers are shipped to Tanzania and Zimbabwe loaded with 40,000 lbs of requested materials. Shipments include tens of thousands of textbooks, children's books, schools supplies, toys, games, toiletries, art supplies, sports equipment, medical supplies, maps, sewing machines, bicycles, blackboards, seeds and tools. Meeting specific needs of individual schools is a priority. Local trucks are used to transport donations from the containers to local schools.

3. Funds are raised to not only pay for the shipment of goods and the purchase of specifically requested materials such as brick molds and sewing machines, but also for school uniforms and individual scholarships. USACF looks forward to the day when all students will have at their disposal the books and materials they need for a quality education. It is our hope that one day a child's future will be limited only by the size of their dreams

We look forward to the day when all students will have at their disposal the books and materials they need for a quality education and when the children of our sister schools will be able to follow the educational path that their minds and hearts want to take them.

Recent Successes

Over the last five years, ten USACF shipments have reached Africa. Eight were sent to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Two were sent to Mbeya, Tanzania. Two more containers will be sent in May 2009. Contained in those shipments were hundreds of thousands of books, schools supplies, sports equipment, toys, and other needed materials. The effects of these shipments have been profound.

1. Over 100 schools now have functioning libraries. Students, teachers and parents all utilize the libraries. For the first time children can take books home to read. This may seem like a simple thing, but it is an amazing change. Some classrooms have established mini-libraries.

2. Some teachers now have complete sets of textbooks from which to work. We walked into one classroom and every child had a story book. When asked if they could read the book, they all read aloud. Our goal is for all teachers to have sets of textbooks from which to work.

3. Attendance is up. Punctuality is up. Teacher retention is our sister schools is much higher than other public schools. Student enrollment in the zero-grade classes (kindergarten) has soared largely due to the arrival of toys. One box of toys can triple or quadruple the number of students attending class.

4. A tutorial was set up to better prepare 50 of the secondary students for their "A" level exams in Zimbabwe. Before the tutorial program was established, the number of students qualifying for university was only 3%; now it’s 20%. In one district, no one had qualified for university in five years. Last year 34 students qualified.

5. Art classes are being organized. It is now possible because of the arrival of paper, crayons, markers and paint. Some students had never seen a crayon in their life.

6. Mangubeni Secondary was selected to develop a comprehensive agriculture program. USACF sent two wheelbarrows, 100 meters of hose, fencing, seed, hand rakes, a pick axe, shovels, pails and watering cans. We hope to expand this program into other schools.

7. We have delivered fifteen sewing machines - some manual and some electric. Parents use the machines to make school uniforms. Schools have started fashion and design classes.

8. USACF focuses on the needs of orphans. Over 20% of our students are orphans. We try to ensure that all orphans have the school supplies, shoes and clothing they need to attend school. In winter many cannot get to school because they have no shoes and it is too cold to walk.

9. USACF has established extensive pen pal programs in Zimbabwe and Tanzania. We have also given sister schools disposal cameras to photograph their schools and students. We are working to develop better communication between sister schools through websites such as Facebook and Youtube.

10. Schools have begun to excel in sports. We have provided some schools with team uniforms. All schools have received soccer balls. One school came in first place out of 35 in a gymnastics competition. Another school came in 2nd place in a soccer competition. Before getting team uniforms they never won a game. (Without sports uniforms many students are not able to compete because they are afraid to dirty the only clothing they have.) Because we have sent extra soccer ball, the girls are allowed to play soccer for the first time. We sent 300 soccer balls and 600 soccer uniforms in the 6th shipment.

11. We supply a local hospice in Zimbabwe with medical supplies and wheelchairs for their HIV patients.

12. Our first micro-economic venture is in Tanzania. We have purchased six high quality breeding pigs. We hope that in time we will have hundreds of pigs. Funds raised from the sale of pigs will go directly to the schools.

13. USACF has secured two dental stations and dental equipment. These will be sent to Zimbabwe. One station will be used at the University of Zimbabwe and the second to establish a clinic in Bulawayo.

14. From August 13, 2009 until August 27, 2009, USACF will be bringing 14 teachers and program supporters to Tanzania. They will spend most of their time visiting our sister schools and looking for elephants and zebra while on tent safaris. We hope this to be an annual event.

15. USACF has established a scholarship program for Zimbabwean students who have qualified for University and cannot afford to go. USACF will fund their “Distance Learning Degrees” provided each candidate agrees to teach at one of our sister schools.
To date (May 2009) USACF has funded 40 scholarships.

Thank you!

Mark Grashow and Sheri Saltzberg