Rural Schools Outreach

​The Edward Ndlovu Memorial Library would not be fulfilling its function adequately if it remained only serving Gwanda town and environs. The district’s rural population, which is three times that of the urban, is composed mainly of small family-based villages or homesteads.  Children walk to the closest primary school, generally not more than 5-6 kilometres away.

By and large, these children have no access to books in their homes, which are without electricity or running water. The schools themselves are poorly resourced, and often lack textbooks, let alone supplementary reading. Early on in its development, the library reached out to these rural communities.

The town library serves as a base for outreach to the rural population, especially the children. We now provide library service to more than a third of the district’s 111 primary (elementary) schools.  These include kindergarten and grades 1 to 7, covering ages 4 to 12, and as of February 2025 the total enrollment was 38,284 children. Through this programme we are reaching approximately two thirds of all the children of this age group in the district, providing 28,000 library books to 29,000 children. 

There are 111 primary schools in Gwanda district with a total enrollment of 38284 learners as of February 2025 statistics.  We operate three different programmes under this rural outreach reaching 14,074 learners:

• The rotating book box programme reaches 9,741 learners in 31 schools; in mid 2025 this will be expanded to 39 schools, 5 of them in Beitbridge District

• The inspiring readers program covers 5 schools with 2,869 learners

• The Books to Go program serves 1,464 learners

ENMT has a geographic foot print in an additional 43 schools with an enrollment of 13115 learners under the pioneer program. This programme targeted the under-resourced schools, many of which are remote and/or difficult to access. A box with 200 books was handed to each of these schools. As we realised that we could not provide further services to all these schools, an additional 8,600 books were given to these schools before we withdrew from this programme.

Currently ENMT is reaching 37% of learners in Gwanda district but before handing over the Pioneer program ENMT reach was 71%.  The total number of books currently circulating is 23,165, plus over 14,000 in the pioneer boxes.

Most of the books are supplementary reading material in English, both fiction and non-fiction. A large number are provided by Book Aid International, a charity based in the U.K. When funds permit, we also buy books published locally, especially those in local languages spoken in the district, SiNdebele, SeSotho, and ChiVenda.

Each of the programmes operates slightly differently:

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1. Rotating Book Boxes​

Twenty-nine schools are participating in this programme, which has a total of 13,600 books circulating. In mid-2025 we will expand to an additional ten schools, five of which are in Beitbridge District. We have built specially designed wooden boxes which hold approximately 300 books each and remain in the schools. Teachers from the receiving schools are invited each school holiday to come to the Gwanda library where the books are stored, to make a selection for their school.  The boxes are then prepared by library staff.

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At the beginning of each school term, the boxes are delivered in large plastic tubs to the schools by our van.  The schools are responsible for the administration and use of the books.  At the end of the term the boxes are collected and taken to Gwanda for checking, replacement and repair, and the cycle begins again, with different books.  In this way, children always have books available throughout the school term for reading.

Unfortunately, in most schools it is not possible to make the books available to children during the school holidays. Some books are always included for the teachers, for professional and leisure use, and for community members.​

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In most cases, schools have no libraries, and there are no other libraries, and so these are the only books children have to read other than their textbooks, which are chronically in short supply.  Without this additional reading provided by the book boxes, few children develop the skill, habit and enjoyment of reading both for gaining information and for leisure.  The books thus promote literacy and a culture of reading.

2. Inspiring Readers Programme 

In 2021 Book Aid International sponsored a second programme.  Five schools have received a larger collection of books and a cupboard to hold them.  These also do not rotate, and become a part of their permanent library collection.  All of these books were distributed in September 2021 when the schools re-opened after the COVID closures. 2,500 books are allocated to this programme.  It is planned that this programme will be absorbed into the book box programme before the end of 2025.

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3. Books to Go 

Under the model developed for the rotating book boxes there is a serious disadvantage:  the books are not available during school holidays.  In 2023 we experimented with a programme to remedy this shortcoming.  With funding from Book Aid International, one school piloted a programme which we have called Books to Go,  A special lockable steel shelf holding up to 3000 books was provided to be available specifically for lending during term time and the holidays.  Colourful bags were provided so that books would be kept carefully by the children in their homes.

This first school, Selonga Primary, had two confident and dedicated teacher librarians who developed an integrated library and teaching programme.  The community had built a school and community library building hence it was possible to work out library lessons for each class timetable.  They also were systematic in arranging for children to borrow books during the holidays, and the influence of the library and its books extended to their homes and families. For those children, reading now has become a holiday activity as well as something for school term.

A detailed evaluation was carried out and the pilot project was so popular that in 2024 two other schools were added. 7,065 books are available in this programme. The books do not rotate, but the schools may make requests for more books. It is envisaged that these three schools will develop into hubs for distribution of books to those schools participating in the rotating book box scheme.

4. Pioneer Book Boxes 

​Our capacity to serve all the schools in the district is limited by the costs of transportation. So we looked for other ways of reaching more schools. Starting in 2019, Book Aid International provided us with books and boxes to supply to disadvantaged schools.  These boxes have become a permanent collection for these schools, and have motivated many of them to have a more organised library.

Whenever we have the resources, we will add to their libraries. In 2020 and 2021 we added more schools, and now 43 schools have received these boxes.  Some are very deprived schools established within former white-owned commercial farms, using old farm buildings as there are no specially constructed classrooms.

Training

School teachers have not been introduced to management of library books during their qualification courses.  Hence we have an on-going programme of training for the teachers who are allocated responsibility for managing the books. Usually they are invited to come to the library in Gwanda for a workshop which lasts a day or two. In those schools which have community librarians we also train them.

From time to time workshops are also offered for the heads of the schools, to help them to understand the importance of the library books, and how they can contribute to children’s learning. We try to change the established educational culture which has promoted the idea that learning the textbook should be the focus of all school learning.

Since there is considerable movement of staff between schools, it is necessary to repeat these training workshops every year, if funding permits.

Special School Programmes

When funds and staffing levels have permitted we have introduced special activities.  The most successful of these have been reading competitions between schools. 

Assistance to School Children

a. School Fees – Some donors have made funds available to assist families in payment of school fees.  These are especially onerous for parents of children in secondary schools.  Although we don’t work so closely with secondary schools, we have assisted some girls to be helped with these funds.  In 2025, 13 learners in Forms 2, 3 and 4 are being assisted – 10 girls and 3 boys.  Monitoring has been carried out to check on their progress.

b. Sanitary Ware – In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and with the assistance of one of our owners we have embraced the goal of keeping girls in school by providing sanitary ware.  One of our income generating groups has been contracted to produce reusable sanitary pads which are then donated to the girls, mainly in secondary schools.