Moffat Mungazi
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE Support Adolescent Girls’ Education (SAGE) – a non-formal education programme aiming to ensure that 5 027 highly marginalized out of school adolescent girls between 10 and 19 – has so far benefited 94 girls and 29 boys at Sahumani Hub.
Sahumani Hub is located 15km from Hauna Growth Point in Honde Valley under Mutasa District.
Implemented across 11 districts in Zimbabwe, SAGE, a component of the Teacher Effectiveness and Equitable Access for all Children (TEACH) Programme, which allows the adolescent girls go through the basic cycle of foundational literacy and numeracy up to Grade Five (Module 2C) level.
Neddy Kabungaidze, a beneficiary of the programme, professed the changes that she witnessed in her social life owing to lessons obtained at the hub.
“When we started I never knew this programme would change my life for the better. I used to experience domestic violence episodes in my home because of failure to read a text message sent by my husband but now things have changed. I can now communicate effectively and the same wave length with my husband using the cell phone,” she said.
Speaking during a tour of the Sahumani Hub on Tuesday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Mr Moses Mhike said: “Government with development partners are working together to enhance non formal education. I am extremely impressed with the zeal and the attendance is such initiatives, especially here at Sahumani. This is in tandem with Government development thrust of leaving no place and no one behind.”
The programme is designed to improve learning outcomes, facilitate transitions to education and enhance resilience to health, economic and climate related shocks.
The programme, which is funded by UK in Zimbabwe, is a partnership between Plan International, Christian Blind Mission (CBM), Apostolic Women Empowerment Trust (AWET), Open University and the Department for Non Formal Education (NFE) under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
A total of 11 hubs and one satellite hub were established in the district to provide educational support to 817 out of school adolescent girls.
This population includes girls living with disabilities, those who have never attended school, young mothers, adolescent girls, girls from Apostolic communities, and girls engaged in labour.
Learners are assisted by a team of volunteers comprising two community educators, two master craftspeople and four peer leaders (two males and two females).
A Hub Development Committee (HDC) is composed of parents, community leaders, school heads and learner representatives provides overall governance to ensure the smooth operation of the hub activities.
