The Munyaradzi Education Foundation is an organization I established to support children growing up in rural Africa starting with young people in rural Zimbabwe, particularly Gokwe.
The foundation speaks to me at a personal level and I approach it from a position of: What would I have needed growing up in Gokwe?
The Munyaradzi Education Foundation does not stem from a position of neither comfort nor pity. It is coming from a position of holding as many hands in Gokwe as I can. Every little girl in Gokwe can make her dreams a reality and I am honored to be the conduit.
Petronella Munhenzva
Foundation Motto: Holding as many hands as we can
Foundation Values: Honesty, Respect, Family, Accountability and Integrity
Who Are We Here For: Every child living in rural Africa. Current focus is on young people in rural Zimbabwe, particularly in Gokwe
Foundation Goals:
- Empowerment of young people in rural Africa
- Creating opportunities for Education
- Provide information on career guidance, reproductive health, life opportunities and entrepreneurship
I have been that girl walking 5 kilometers to school. I have been that girl sitting in a grass-chipped classroom without benches or a proper roof.
I have always been that girl who had to share a textbook with nine other students to read a passage for a test. Because the school couldn’t afford a broom, I carried one to school to clean the Blair toilet. The list is endless but I have been her and I AM HER. My story is her story.
In December 2020 after being in Oxford for slightly over a year. I went back home to Zimbabwe. While there, I went to Gokwe, the place where I was born and spent the first 18 years of my life. I went to every school where I had learned, sat in the chairs I once sat in, and spoke with the teachers who had once taught me. Going back there made me appreciate the journey I had been on. Every teacher I spoke to at every school I visited kept on saying, “You should come back when the schools are open; the kids would love to meet you and hear from you; they could use the motivation.” To honor their wishes and to give every child hope that they can, I have decided to hold as many hands as I can in Gokwe and everywhere else in Africa and actively become the change I want to see in the world.
Mission Statement:
To empower young people in rural Africa through various educational opportunities, providing and promoting available information on career guidance, life opportunities, and entrepreneurship.
If you would like to contribute towards the foundation, please feel free to use the paypal link here.
Petronella Munhenzva 