Opinion / Columnist
The Collin Nyabadza Children's Voice Charitable Trust
29 Apr 2013 at 12:42hrs | Views
Collin Nyabadza is the Executive Director of The Collin Nyabadza Children's Voice Charitable Trust, an organisation that was set up in Zimbabwe in December last year. The main thrust of this organisation is to help poor rural schools in Zimbabwe build classrooms, teachers houses, buy school furniture, sports equipment, and so on. To make orange juice one requires oranges. However the conditions the majority of rural school children operate in is akin to asking someone to make orange juice from lemons, which is impossible. This sad state of affairs in these schools led me to set up this trust so as to give our children a voice.
How the journey started
After finishing my teacher training education at the United College of Education in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in 1992 I was deployed at Tjewondo Primary School then a dilapidated institution with no facilities at all, though the school had potential for development. Consequently a number of qualified teachers were coming and leaving at short notice as they could not stand the lack of facilities. I remember one of our District Officers, Mr. Patimile saying to me, 'Mr. Nyabadza, we will never visit Tjewondo because Tjewondo 'inondinhuwila' (Khalanga word for stinking). Such were the state of affairs. At one time I also thought of joining the exodus, but on second thoughts I reasoned that if as teachers we all came and left who else would help gthe parents in developing the school. Moreover as teachers we are agents of social change.
Most rewarding decision
It was then that I made the decision to remain and help mobilise the community in developing the school. I made a commitment to source funds from the International Community with the parents chipping in with things such as labour, water, bricks and river sand and other locally available resources. I must say that this decision to stay shall so remain the most important and most rewarding I have ever made in my career. For, with funds that I sourced from the International Communities and other well -wishers, we managed to develop the school infrastructure at Tjewondo. I am glad that the community responded so positively such that sometimes we could carry out two projects at the same time. I also owe that success to Mr. Exson, N. Nyathi who came to head the school from 1994. He was such an honest, intelligent, vibrant and visionary man who led the school by example. Together we moved mountains, which is why I did not hesitate making him our board advisor to my trust. The highlight of my career came in 1998 when I secured a grant of US$26 000 from the Irish Agency for International Development, to build a 1x2 classroom block and a teachers cottage, buy school furniture and a water pump and to drill a borehole at my school. This is when I realized I was cut out for a career in the field of humanitarian work. For the 9 years I was at the school I also managed to take our Grade 7 pupils every single year to either Victoria Falls or Great Zimbabwe so as to give our pupils exposure thereby making them richer in terms of experiences which are necessary in broadening their horizons. For a poor school such as ours, that was no mean achievement.
Scholasrhips for needy children
The first class I taught at the school in 1993 was a Grade 7 one preparing to go to high school the following year. I had two very brilliant girls in that school. They did not have funds to go to high school. I was touched as I did not want such brains to be wasted. I immediately intervened just as any normal person would have. I approached Delta Beverages, then known as National Breweries, for help. By God's grace the organisation obliged to help my two stars for the next six years in high school. I continued mentoring them and providing them with much counseling especially in a boarding environment. The rest is now history as my two girls went on to do very well. As I speak, one of them is now an engineer and sits on our board. Added to that, she is also sponsoring an orphaned girl, as a way of giving back to the community that gave her so much. She will remain one of the most brilliant children I have ever worked with.
That gesture by Delta motivated me to go on and source scholarships for hundreds of children in such situations. This actually led to the creation of this trust. We funds permitting my organisation will also be chipping with school fees for children in desperate situations, for 'no child shall be put down by poverty'. That is our motto.
Management and Values
In December 2012 The Collin Nyabadza Children's Voice Charitable Trust was born. Any good idea for it to be successful requires a very strong team to implement it. Our main strength is that the majority of our trustees who run this organisation live and work in some of the communities that we serve. Two of them are heading poor schools hence they know what it is to run a school without proper facilities. They therefore do not need any motivation to do a very good job for this trust. Our Chairperson, Mr. Siqhubumthetho Dube is a former school head who turned every poor school he headed into an oasis. The same goes to say with Mr. E. N. Nyathi who is our Board Advisor. He is a retired school head with lots of experience running those poor rural schools. Our last two trustees are former students of mine with lots of leadership potential. We call them our 'young turks'. Our main goal is to groom them into fine leaders. The fact that the whole board works on a volunteer will go a long way towards reducing our overhead costs. Our vision is to ensure that the bulk of income goes to the intended beneficiaries- the children we serve. We want to be able to reach schools in places like Binga that have been neglected for a long time.
Our board is as follows:
1. Mr. Collin Nyabadza - Executive Director
2. Mr. Siqhubumthetho Dube - Chairperson
3. Mr. Sipho Ncube - Vice Chairperson
4. Mr. Malaki Ndlovu - Donor Relations
5. Mr. E.N. Nyathi - Board Advisor
6. Ms. Sherinah Sibanda - Board Secretary
7. Mr. Ronald Ncube - Finance
Account details
We have opened an account with Barclays Bank and those willing to support this dream may deposit any amount. Any amount will still be welcome. In the humanitarian field every single penny counts as it is bound to make a big difference. Edward Burke once said, 'Nobody made a greater mistake than they who did nothing because they thought they could only do a little'. Our account details are as follows: Name of Bank: Barclays - Branch Code : 2307 - Account Number: 1149080
Motivation:
We are quite confident that with your support, we will be able to move mountains together and help make a difference to the lives of children out there. I am a father of two children, a girl aged 13 and a boy aged 9. I love and adore them very much. I want the best for them in life. They are my biggest motivation. What I want for them is what I want for every child. I see my children's eyes in every child. I have been living here in Canada and I must say I envy the way all children in these developed countries come first and foremost. No child in Canada is denied a right to basics such as schooling, food, play, clothing and shelter due to poverty. We want to use this trust to introduce the same concept in Zimbabwe. Being a Special Needs Teacher by training, I work with children with Special Needs in Swift Current. I marvel at the manner are well cared for. I want the same for all children in Zimbabwe.
Child Protection
I have learnt so much here in Canada in as far as child protection and welfare is concerned. I therefore wish to use those experiences to run this organisation effectively and efficiently and professionally for the benefit of children. It pains me when I read newspapers back in Zimbabwe. Often I come across an article of a child having been sexually abused by a teacher, relative or a stranger. In Canada and other developed nations, before working anywhere near children, one has to provide a Police Criminal Background Check (PCBC) and a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC). This applies to people such as social workers, teachers, maids, baby sitters, day care workers, pediatrician, and so on. This is imperative in protecting children. Once one has a criminal background record they would never be allowed anywhere near children. We therefore need a similar policy in Zimbabwe. One of the main priorities with this trust is to lobby the government and relative authorities to enact this policy. We want a situation where our children feel safe wherever they are be it in school, day care or playing in the park. We want to weed out sexual perverts together with the so-called sugar daddies.
Volunteering
During my stay in in Canada I have realized that there is a lot of volunteer that goes on throughout the year. If one cannot donate cash, surely I strong feel they can donate their time. Most of these development communities are what they are today simply due to their spirit of volunteering. Added to that people are willing to share their resources. Those who have always make an effort to share with those without. My intention is to use this trust as a vehicle to promote and instill the spirit of volunteering among my fellow Zimbabweans. This notion of thinking that a donor is someone from the UK, US, Canada, Switzerland, etc has to stop. Any Zimbabwean can be a donor. We intend working with all Zimbabweans from all walks of life. Recently I have been talking to former Zimbabwe national soccer captain Ephraim Chawanda. I feel such guys are being underutilized. They have played soccer at the highest level. We can make use of them in schools where they go move around giving motivational talks to children who wish to pursue soccer or any sport career, preaching on the need to have self- discipline if they wish to make it to the top.
Contact details
Those willing to contact us may reach us at: Mr. S. Dube, Email : siqhudube@gmail.com ,cell: +263-713-439-842, Mr. Malaki Ndlovu, Email:mdingi2003@yahoo.com , cell: +263-779-346-887 or Mr. Collin Nyabadza , Email: cnyabadza@yahoo.ca Tel: +1-306-773-1993
How the journey started
After finishing my teacher training education at the United College of Education in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in 1992 I was deployed at Tjewondo Primary School then a dilapidated institution with no facilities at all, though the school had potential for development. Consequently a number of qualified teachers were coming and leaving at short notice as they could not stand the lack of facilities. I remember one of our District Officers, Mr. Patimile saying to me, 'Mr. Nyabadza, we will never visit Tjewondo because Tjewondo 'inondinhuwila' (Khalanga word for stinking). Such were the state of affairs. At one time I also thought of joining the exodus, but on second thoughts I reasoned that if as teachers we all came and left who else would help gthe parents in developing the school. Moreover as teachers we are agents of social change.
Most rewarding decision
It was then that I made the decision to remain and help mobilise the community in developing the school. I made a commitment to source funds from the International Community with the parents chipping in with things such as labour, water, bricks and river sand and other locally available resources. I must say that this decision to stay shall so remain the most important and most rewarding I have ever made in my career. For, with funds that I sourced from the International Communities and other well -wishers, we managed to develop the school infrastructure at Tjewondo. I am glad that the community responded so positively such that sometimes we could carry out two projects at the same time. I also owe that success to Mr. Exson, N. Nyathi who came to head the school from 1994. He was such an honest, intelligent, vibrant and visionary man who led the school by example. Together we moved mountains, which is why I did not hesitate making him our board advisor to my trust. The highlight of my career came in 1998 when I secured a grant of US$26 000 from the Irish Agency for International Development, to build a 1x2 classroom block and a teachers cottage, buy school furniture and a water pump and to drill a borehole at my school. This is when I realized I was cut out for a career in the field of humanitarian work. For the 9 years I was at the school I also managed to take our Grade 7 pupils every single year to either Victoria Falls or Great Zimbabwe so as to give our pupils exposure thereby making them richer in terms of experiences which are necessary in broadening their horizons. For a poor school such as ours, that was no mean achievement.
Scholasrhips for needy children
The first class I taught at the school in 1993 was a Grade 7 one preparing to go to high school the following year. I had two very brilliant girls in that school. They did not have funds to go to high school. I was touched as I did not want such brains to be wasted. I immediately intervened just as any normal person would have. I approached Delta Beverages, then known as National Breweries, for help. By God's grace the organisation obliged to help my two stars for the next six years in high school. I continued mentoring them and providing them with much counseling especially in a boarding environment. The rest is now history as my two girls went on to do very well. As I speak, one of them is now an engineer and sits on our board. Added to that, she is also sponsoring an orphaned girl, as a way of giving back to the community that gave her so much. She will remain one of the most brilliant children I have ever worked with.
That gesture by Delta motivated me to go on and source scholarships for hundreds of children in such situations. This actually led to the creation of this trust. We funds permitting my organisation will also be chipping with school fees for children in desperate situations, for 'no child shall be put down by poverty'. That is our motto.
Management and Values
In December 2012 The Collin Nyabadza Children's Voice Charitable Trust was born. Any good idea for it to be successful requires a very strong team to implement it. Our main strength is that the majority of our trustees who run this organisation live and work in some of the communities that we serve. Two of them are heading poor schools hence they know what it is to run a school without proper facilities. They therefore do not need any motivation to do a very good job for this trust. Our Chairperson, Mr. Siqhubumthetho Dube is a former school head who turned every poor school he headed into an oasis. The same goes to say with Mr. E. N. Nyathi who is our Board Advisor. He is a retired school head with lots of experience running those poor rural schools. Our last two trustees are former students of mine with lots of leadership potential. We call them our 'young turks'. Our main goal is to groom them into fine leaders. The fact that the whole board works on a volunteer will go a long way towards reducing our overhead costs. Our vision is to ensure that the bulk of income goes to the intended beneficiaries- the children we serve. We want to be able to reach schools in places like Binga that have been neglected for a long time.
1. Mr. Collin Nyabadza - Executive Director
2. Mr. Siqhubumthetho Dube - Chairperson
3. Mr. Sipho Ncube - Vice Chairperson
4. Mr. Malaki Ndlovu - Donor Relations
5. Mr. E.N. Nyathi - Board Advisor
6. Ms. Sherinah Sibanda - Board Secretary
7. Mr. Ronald Ncube - Finance
Account details
We have opened an account with Barclays Bank and those willing to support this dream may deposit any amount. Any amount will still be welcome. In the humanitarian field every single penny counts as it is bound to make a big difference. Edward Burke once said, 'Nobody made a greater mistake than they who did nothing because they thought they could only do a little'. Our account details are as follows: Name of Bank: Barclays - Branch Code : 2307 - Account Number: 1149080
Motivation:
We are quite confident that with your support, we will be able to move mountains together and help make a difference to the lives of children out there. I am a father of two children, a girl aged 13 and a boy aged 9. I love and adore them very much. I want the best for them in life. They are my biggest motivation. What I want for them is what I want for every child. I see my children's eyes in every child. I have been living here in Canada and I must say I envy the way all children in these developed countries come first and foremost. No child in Canada is denied a right to basics such as schooling, food, play, clothing and shelter due to poverty. We want to use this trust to introduce the same concept in Zimbabwe. Being a Special Needs Teacher by training, I work with children with Special Needs in Swift Current. I marvel at the manner are well cared for. I want the same for all children in Zimbabwe.
Child Protection
I have learnt so much here in Canada in as far as child protection and welfare is concerned. I therefore wish to use those experiences to run this organisation effectively and efficiently and professionally for the benefit of children. It pains me when I read newspapers back in Zimbabwe. Often I come across an article of a child having been sexually abused by a teacher, relative or a stranger. In Canada and other developed nations, before working anywhere near children, one has to provide a Police Criminal Background Check (PCBC) and a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC). This applies to people such as social workers, teachers, maids, baby sitters, day care workers, pediatrician, and so on. This is imperative in protecting children. Once one has a criminal background record they would never be allowed anywhere near children. We therefore need a similar policy in Zimbabwe. One of the main priorities with this trust is to lobby the government and relative authorities to enact this policy. We want a situation where our children feel safe wherever they are be it in school, day care or playing in the park. We want to weed out sexual perverts together with the so-called sugar daddies.
Volunteering
During my stay in in Canada I have realized that there is a lot of volunteer that goes on throughout the year. If one cannot donate cash, surely I strong feel they can donate their time. Most of these development communities are what they are today simply due to their spirit of volunteering. Added to that people are willing to share their resources. Those who have always make an effort to share with those without. My intention is to use this trust as a vehicle to promote and instill the spirit of volunteering among my fellow Zimbabweans. This notion of thinking that a donor is someone from the UK, US, Canada, Switzerland, etc has to stop. Any Zimbabwean can be a donor. We intend working with all Zimbabweans from all walks of life. Recently I have been talking to former Zimbabwe national soccer captain Ephraim Chawanda. I feel such guys are being underutilized. They have played soccer at the highest level. We can make use of them in schools where they go move around giving motivational talks to children who wish to pursue soccer or any sport career, preaching on the need to have self- discipline if they wish to make it to the top.
Contact details
Those willing to contact us may reach us at: Mr. S. Dube, Email : siqhudube@gmail.com ,cell: +263-713-439-842, Mr. Malaki Ndlovu, Email:mdingi2003@yahoo.com , cell: +263-779-346-887 or Mr. Collin Nyabadza , Email: cnyabadza@yahoo.ca Tel: +1-306-773-1993
Source - www.collinnyabadza.com
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