Diana Jeater writes:
There is a Quaker bursary in Zimbabwe that supports one pupil a year to continue education when her family can not afford to keep her in school.Currently, it is supporting Marvellous (photo attached), who has just finished her O Levels (they still do O’s in Zimbabwe), and has been accepted to go on to A levels, where she wants to do sciences and business economics.The school would not allow Marvellous to enrol, because she does not have the money to purchase the uniform. The uniform is more than the fees! It is over US$700!The school will let Marvellous enrol when she has the uniform: she has the O Level grades needed and clearly has the ability.There is no second-hand uniform system for the school, and it seems possible that the uniform price and stipulation is a way of keeping the school middle class without being overtly discriminatory. Marvellous has been supported by the Quakers for the past four years. She is a very sensible young woman and managed, despite growing and changing in many ways, to sew and alter her school uniform throughout those four years, to make it last. But she has to go to the new school to do A Levels.The Quakers cannot help because the terms of the bursary will not allow them to use the money for anything other than fees. And the members of Harare meeting are themselves all economically very challenged. So now Marvellous is stuck at home with her mother and the rest of her family. Her mother is the sole breadwinner, and she is a cleaner. There is no work for young people, so Marvellous cannot even help her mother by earning while she is waiting.If you felt able to contribute an amount, no matter how small, to help Marvellous to buy the uniform, it really would make a difference. Payment should go directly to Friends of Hlekweni, earmarked for Marvellous’ uniform. The FoH UK Treasurer is Roger Moore, roger@pandinus.me.uk. UK bank details areFriends of HlekweniThe Co-operative BankSort code: 08 92 99Account number 65319891
If we raise any surplus (unlikely but possible), would you also indicate to Roger whether you would be willing for this to go towards the Quaker Zimbabwe scholarship fund (administered by Friends of Hlekweni) and perhaps consider a regular donation?
There is a huge amount of loving gratitude pouring your way, from both Zimbabwe and the Friends of Hlekweni in Milton Keynes!
In Friendship
Diana
Bath Quakers 