Workshops & Training
For teachers of reading, teacher-librarians, school heads, community librarians and study circle members
If our goal of promoting a reading culture and access to information for Zimbabweans is to be achieved, it is necessary for ENMT to work with those we rely on to help administer our services – primarily teachers and headmasters in the schools we work with when we provide them with book boxes.
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Each school designates a teacher-librarian with whom we can liaise and who will operate their library and our book box. It is primarily with these designated teachers that we have held workshops, but we also on occasion hold workshops for headmasters and mistresses, as they often have not fully comprehended the importance of the library. ​
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In 2016 we received a special collection of 1500 phonics books from Book Aid International (UK). We knew that they might not be effectively used unless we held workshops to introduce them, hence we held a series of workshops with the relevant staff.
Three workshops were held for Early Childhood Development and infant teachers, heads, and teacher-librarians to share best-practices in the teaching of phonics, and especially the use of the donated books. They were introduced to the phonics books and the ways they could be used. We were then able to distribute 6615 of these books to the schools.
In late 2018 we held a workshop to train librarians from our partner schools in the use of e readers donated by BAI. We have also found it important to hold workshops with the community members in which we work.
The teachers and heads are most frequently not from the community in which they teach. In order to gain community support for the library and its activities it is necessary that the parents and grandparents understand the importance of the library. Hence from time to time we do hold workshops to which we invite the chairpersons of the School Development Committee, which represents the community members.​
When the Pioneer Book Boxes and the Inspiring Readers programmes were introduced, workshops were also held for staff for the participating schools. Generally we hold refresher workshops, but during COVID this has not been possible. With restrictions lifted, we have been to resume these.
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Workshop introducing teachers to e-readers
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For study circles
Study circle members form a group and identify a project, but most often they need training on a variety of issues. These may include general matters such as micro-business formation and administration, record keeping, democratic decision making, marketing. They may also include specific technological knowledge such as goat diseases, pest control, seed selection, drip irrigation and many others. When we find that there is a need for such input, we organize a workshop and invite a specialist if our staff do not have the necessary knowledge.​
In 2018 and 2019 we held several workshops for raising awareness on the benefits of forming associations. A Farmers Association has been formed (see “Study Circles” under Programmes) to commercialise production and bring greater profits to the study circle members. Training is now going on to ensure that their products meet standards required by more sophisticated buyers.
In 2021, after COVID restrictions were lifted, we organised a workshop for members of the ten goat-breeding study circles. An official from the Matopos Research Station came to teach them how to properly inject medicines. These study circles have already formed an association and have received funding to help them build an abattoir.
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A workshop for members of a study circle
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