Portrait of a teacher: Angellah Sigauke Tsitsi, Principal of New Years’ Gift primary school
"Living conditions are very harsh in this region. Some children have to walk up to eight kilometres every morning and evening, in order to attend the classes."
"Others are not so fortunate; those children walk ten kilometres to sell charcoal in the city of Chipinge. During the drought, the region's inhabitants starve, and paying school fees is not on top of their list of priorities. As a result, most students have not paid their school fees, causing significant issues as regards our school's operating budget.
Despite these difficulties, we have noted a change in many parents' attitudes since launching the Out of Work Into School project. We have developed school cultural activities (song, dance, poems, theatre) aimed at raising awareness with regard to the dangers of child labour. Such activities already existed, but the existence of a project such as Out of Work Into School has increased our energy tenfold. We travel to a child's home if he is absent for more than two days. Our teachers provide additional classes to struggling students. Three mothers have also requested our help to learn how to read and write. Education is thus more valued within the community, which motivates our teachers."
