17.200 children have received schooling so far. Sabona collaborates with local schools and gives vulnerable children the opportunity of education by paying their school tuition fees. Children in the sponsorship program (409 children in 2021) share the experience of losing either one or both of their parents and coming from a tough background. Through our sponsorship program, children get the opportunity of going to school and get a break from the challenging life at home. At school the children are ensured a daily meal through Sabonas school lunch project (food stations).

In addition to supporting particularly disadvantaged and vulnerable children with education, Sabona has also focused on informative work regarding the importance of education, to ensure that families will not pull their children out of school during difficult times. We support children and adolescents at 38 schools with education.    

Sabona works hard to achieve UNs sustainable goal no. 4: QUALITY EDUCATION, to ensure inclusive, equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Sabona is contributing to supporting local schools so they can remain open. The challenges the schools are facing are being mapped out every year, and Sabona collaborates with the Ministry of Health, the schools, and the local population in order to increase the quality of the school system.   

Several schools have received help with the development of infrastructure, which includes the installation of windows in the classrooms, improvements to the school buildings, and building houses for teachers and sanitary facilities. Sabona has also contributed to the installation of water and electricity as well as building vegetable gardens. In addition, Sabona contributes to measures that make it possible for the schools to collect money for maintenance and further upgrades. The schools receive support for hosting and participating in sports events, and the school teams have received uniforms for various sports. They also receive textbooks, notebooks, and other necessary school supplies. Sabona has also contributed to a Learning Lab, which meets the requirements established by the government. Two families worked together to organize a charity donation that gives the children at Dopota Primary school access to digital learning. Without digital learning, rural children are highly disadvantaged compared to children from urban schools.    

261.000 meals are being served yearly! School lunches are important for several reasons. It is certainly important for children’s development and learning, but it is also a critical incentive for parents to actually send their children to school. This way, children are at least ensured one nourished meal a day. Vegetables are bought from Sabona local health-/and job creation projects!

The school lunch project represents the beginning of Sabona in 1999 when our founder Ynghild Solholm travelled to Zimbabwe to work as a teacher. It did not take her long to realize that children did not have the capacity to learn, as they were fainting from hunger at school. 

Since 2020, Sabona has managed 4 food stations. 1169 students have ensured a nourishing meal a day (2021), along with education. The food stations also engage local women, as they are taking turns in preparing the meals every day. The meals increase learning and are very positive for the community as a whole.

Sabona is working to set up additional food stations at more schools. 

The number of school drop-outs is increasing in Zimbabwe. In addition to the work we are doing within and outside the schools, Sabona established the Youth Empowerment project in different high schools in 2021.

Youth Empowerment works as a bridge between primary school and higher education. The project’s goal is to provide vulnerable youths with the opportunity to complete and pass high school education by helping with school-related costs, supplies, extra tutoring, and informative-and motivational work. The failure rates for exams are significantly high, and Sabona believes that a holistic approach is crucial to support adolescents through high school, and hence give them the opportunity to create a better future for themselves - and to prevent crime, drug abuse, prostitution, teenage pregnancies etc.

Sabona is now engaging youths in our agricultural projects (poultry and vegetable gardens). One of the goals of Sabona Development Centre is to help those who have fallen out of the traditional educational system to get vocational training in a line of work that can help them make a living and become contributing members to society.

To prevent drop-outs and student absences in high school, motivational consultations have been offered by students with higher educations, which is supported by Sabona and Kavlifondet. Motivational consultations address challenges such as long-distance travelling, pregnancy, reading and writing difficulties, home situations, lack of follow-ups and help from home, and little focus on education in the home which causes poor achievement in school and high failure rates.

The adolescents that are taking part in the project typically come from families in extreme poverty, where they have lost one or both parents. They grow up in an environment where there is no focus on education, which reinforces poor conditions and the lack of knowledge about the importance of education and the opportunities it can give. The widespread HIV/AIDS- infection is still perceived as taboo in many areas, and it is a large threat to the youth who is lacking important and correct information about the disease. Daily life is often challenging as most of them walk long distances to get to school, and household chores and other tasks often get in the way of homework when they finally get home from school. In addition to these challenges, most students get through the day with no food. These factors contribute to a vicious cycle of poverty as students often lack motivation, hope, and knowledge about the opportunities after primary school, which leads to students dropping out. Young girls are particularly exposed and vulnerable, as they are at an age where many get pregnant, or they are taken out of school by their parents to help out in the household. Through our work, we wish to remove these obstacles that prevent adolescents from completing school.  

Many students struggle academically, which is why Sabona wishes to arrange extra tutoring sessions for both individual students and in groups. English, mathematics, and science are particularly important subjects in terms of completing high school and opportunities for higher education. The plan is to arrange tutoring sessions on Saturdays and during holidays. Sabona also wish to bring high school students from rural areas on field trips to larger cities to visit educational institutions where they can receive guidance on future opportunities, both in practical and academic directions    

Due to the political and financial crisis in Zimbabwe, the educational sector has received little or no support in the last few years, and not many people can afford higher education. The unemployment rate in Zimbabwe is significantly high, and many people migrate out of the country to find work. Matabeleland is the area in the country that is neglected the most, and very few students from this area have the opportunity for higher education. This is why an education fund is very important for the adolescents in the area. 

In collaboration with Kavlifondet, Sabona’s fund of higher education give challenged adolescents in Zimbabwe the opportunity to create a better future through access to higher education. We support students in university, technical school, and college. In addition to covering school tuition fees, Sabona works to guide and facilitate the students. We have several projects involved in this, such as student forums, mentor programs, IT training, and we have created a safe study space for the students.

The support that the students receive also includes the cost of living, as we have experienced that this is particularly challenging for the students who are already involved in the fund. Since we started the fund, we have experienced significant progress among the students. We typically see hard-working and motivated students. The fact that many adolescents from rural areas are now taking higher education also works as a motivational factor for high school students, and it contributes to changing the mindset of children in local villages, as many of them could never imagine taking higher education.