The Author meeting with students at Pakati Secondary school in the IT Suite/Library
The time spent at the school involved a handover ceremony, with local dignatories as well as staff & students of both schools plus parents. It also included the actual arrival of the recently donated IT, which arrived a day later than hoped for. These images are a mixture from the two days, Tuesday & Wednesday 8th & 9th October.
On the toad to PakatiA brief stop on the wayAt Taluu Store near PakatiMrs Munatswa, teacherat Pakati SecondaryWith Mr Chadenga, Maths teacher, at the new water tank for the teachers housesat Pakati Secondary
The students speaking at the event are from Pakati Primary school, and the dancees are from the Secondary school.
This post contains 2 versions of the same Interview….audio and video.
During the recent visit to Pakati, I took the opportunity to talk to one of the teachers at the Secondary school, Mr Moses Chadenga. I was sure I recognised the name…..
The Audio is a bit clearer thanks to Brad Mell & his IT skills, but I thought it would be good to have the visuals as well, hence both as a podcast & a vlog.
So there you have it…Moses’ story overlapping with my own!
Still to come…
I have a few short videos from my visit to Pakati I have not yet posted, so they will be on the blog in the coming weeks
I have recently heard from Mr. Mahachi, Head of Pakati Primary school. He has sent me a lot of information & pictures, covering several stories. Today I will show quite a few photos from a trip for some students out to a particular part of Harare – the R G Mugabe International Airport.
The visit also takes in the Lion & Cheetah Park in Harare, and a children’s playground called ‘Tamba Tese’ (‘Play Together’).
The children & staff from Pakati Primary school were taken to Harare by coach from a local travel company, an experience they cleary enjoyed.
The main part of the trip was clearly the visit to the Harare International Airport, named aftee the former President of Zimbabwe, Robert G Mugabe.
Picture taken by the Author in 2018
Below are some of the photos of the staff & students, clearly having a good time, looking at aircraft & going on board
From Mr Mahachi recently:
‘Learners arrive at school between 0600 and 0630 hrs. The bus started its journey by 0630, and arrived in Harare at R G Mugabe Airport around 0900 hrs. Learners ate their braekfast whilst travelling and ate the lunch at Lion and Cheetah Park between 1300 and 1400hrs.
Lastly visted Tamba Tese after 1400 hrs. The bus started its journey to the school around 1700 hrs and arrived back at the school some minutes after 8pm as it was dropping some learners along the way. “
These are just a few of the students who benefit from the very generous donations given to Friends of Pakati over the last 6 years – Computers & laptops, football shirts, t-shirts etc. – and just as important, cash donations & sales of merchandise. To help us continue to support the Pakati schools, please contact us via friendsofpakati@gmail.com
Follow us: X/Twitter, Facebook & Instagram using the tag @friendsofpakati & now also on Bluesky:
Mr Chizenya, Head of Pakati Seondary school, has been in touch this week with some wonderful news….
“Hello Mr Walker. We have started offering computer lessons to learners.”
Learners setting up the computers
An exchange between us – ” (Chris Walker): I can create a new blog to encourage people to donate towards the things we discussed – power, wifi, etc (S T Chizenya): Good morning Mr Walker. I’m sure that will help a lot. In the meantime we are using a long cable to transfer electricity from a nearby house to the library/IT Suite. But For the past 2 days we have been delivering theory lessons because electricity has not been available in the afternoon.”
Mr Cizenya: “learners being taken through a lesson on what a computer is, types of computers and parts of a computer. Note that ZESA electricity was not available on the day and that is why the computers are off.”
So as you can see, the Secondary school in particular is really in need of a good power supply right now. As discussed in the podcast, we need to raise US$500 to connect the ZESA supply to the school buildings as soon as we can.
With the limited power available, they were able to use one computer to demonstrate what can be done, but really they do need to be able to use all 10 we delivered this year, and the 5 we sent in 2019…please help by donating to:
This 3rd podcast from my visit to Zimbabwe in October, and it asked the question – What next for Friends of Pakati and the two Pakati schools?
A number of issues arising from the visit are what I discuss with podcast host Bradley Mell – have a listen & let us know your thoughts…
We clearly have a lot of work to do…but we really need help with many aspects of that work. Please do get involved with us if you can., with ideas, suggestions for contacts, fundraising, spreading the word online – & anything else you can think of!
Here is the second of 3 parts which make up the series about my visit to Pakati in early October this year.
Part 2 is about what happened during the visit, including the arrival of the IT we had shipped out to Zimbabwe. The interview is hosted by Bradley Mell talking to the Author.
Part 3, folliwing in a few days, will talk about what happens next…the visit has raised a number of issues for Friends of Pakati & we discuss those issues in detail.
Greetings everyone! Here is the first podcast for a while, and it is also the first of a 3-part series.
Computers being boxed up by Tronox
In this podcast, our host Bradley Mell interviews the Author about his recent visit to both Pakati schools in Zimbabwe. Part 1 is about the run-up to the visit, Part 2 is about what happened during the visit, and Part 3 is about what happens next..
Here is Part 1…
This podcast can be listened to alongside several of our previous blogs, as we went into some detail about how we acquired the computers & how we got them shipped out.
Greetings all! It will come as no surprise to those who know me, that as well as the amazing visits to Pakati schools, I have travelled widely over many years of trips to Zimbabwe, and I will publish here a mixture of pictures old & new.
The Author driving around the Eastern Highlands area of Zimbabwe, 2024
I guess the hardest thing is to decide exactly where to start! I have chosen this – back from my early days in the country. I visited the place which gives the country its name:
Great Zimbabwe
maDzimbabwe means ‘stone houses’, and there is a wonderful example of such structures just a few kilometres outside of the town of Masvingo. Founded in the 11th century, it was home to a thriving culture.
One part of a series of structures in the Great Zimbabwe compound
Mutare
The main city in the heart of the Eastern Highlands, it is set in a valley, and the approach from Harare via Christmas Pass gives a spectacular view.
Paet of the Christmas Pass road winding through the hills as uou approach Mutare
The city has a small but interesting museum, housing among many other things, a collection of vintage vehicles.
Mutare is also the gateway to areas such as the Chimanimami mountains (below), Vumba – including the Marindi Falls (also below), and also to Nyanga further North (more on this further down).
Wildlife
Zimbabwe is famous for its wildlife, and the pictures below are from various places at various times. Some from Cecil Kop Game reserve in Mutare, some from Imire Game Park near Marondera, some from Hwange National Park, and one from the Zambezi river.
Victoria Falls
One of the true wonders of the world, Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River which is a part of the border with Zambia, is genuinely awesome to view from any angle, especially from the air…
Sky Walk & Zip Line – Mtarazi Falls, Nyanga
This year I visited the Mtarazi Falls in Nyanga, where in the last few years, they have added the Sky walk – 2 bridges high above the falls – where you can walk across & back, look down to the Honde Valley below on one side, and watch the falls cascade over 750m on tbe other…
Just a bit above the footbridge, with the clouds in the background, you can see two wires….
….the Zip line is not for the faint hearted! Below is someone who went on the Zipline & was filmed doing it…rather her than me😎
So there is an awful lot to see & do in & around Zimbabwe, all you need is a sense of adventure!
Coming soon…
● At least 3 new podcasts with our host Bradley Mell & the Author
● An interview with one of the teachers at Pakati Secondary school
● New blog about the plans for the future of Friends of Pakati
● More about the recent visit to both Pakati schools & reactions
So what happened was this. We knew the IT goods were delayed, as reported on Tuesday while our handover event happened. I planned to return a week later to see if they had arrived during my planned holiday.
The goods were to be delivered to our friend Vari Mayez of VaTonatsa Foundation. Apparently she received a phone call early on Wednesday morning, telling her they arrived late on Tuesday!
So she went to pay the US$200 duty, and called me to see if I could go with her back to Pakati – as my plan for Wednesday had been cancelled the night becore, I said Yes of course! So off we went in her vehicle (see above picture) & drove there with everything loaded in the back.
On arrival, we were greeted by the Head of Pakati Secondary school, Mr Chizenya and other staff members.
They quickly organised to have the goods taken to the IT suite – formerly a classroom where I had taught Form 4 students – to be checked over.
Several of the staff came & helped us open every box to see what they contained….
…pretty soon the boxes were all open & the goods laid out on the tables…
…..some of the students came to see what we had brought for them…
…along with a delighted Mr Mahachi, Head of Pakati Primary school.
Mr Magabaza then set up one of the PCs to check all was ok, and it appeared that was the case👍
Success!
Friends of Pakati woul like to thank the following organisations for all their help in getting all the goods from North East Lincolnshire all the way to Pakati:
Greetings everyone! I am writing this post soon after revisiting Pakati Schools, doing exactly what Friends of Pakati was originally set up in 2019 to do – deliver computers to both Pakati schools, Primary & Secondary.
I arrived at Pakati on Monday 7th October bringing some of the items promised – namely the Friends of Pakati t-shirts and an extension cable with USB ports for each school.
At that time, we did not yet have the donated computers, as they were stuck in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) at the airport awaiting transfer to Harare.
However, due to limited time available, we decided to go ahead with the Handover ceremony at Pakati Secondary school on the Tuesday afternoon, in agreememt with the Heads of both schools. Below are the details & pictures from the event.
I arrived at the Secondary school late in the afternoon on the Monday, so I just took the time to discuss the plans for the next day with Mr Chizenya, school Head, and catch up with him & some colleagues about issues of things like power, wi-fi, sports, lessons, etc.
Mr Mahachi, Head of Pakati Primary school, tries on a Friends of Pakati t-shirt at school!
On the Tuesday morning I gave the t-shirts to the Heads to try on, & gave some out to their staff too in preparation for the afternoon event.
I felt a bit like a celebrity at the Prinary school
Mr Mahachi took me to the room currently being used for their handful of computers donated in 2019.
This is in sharp contrast to the converted classroom at the Secondary school, which has been transformed into an IT Suite & library, thanks to some external funding.
The afternoon event began at 2pm, attended by a good number of people, including the following:
Ward 14 Councillor Mr Njenje, plus Councillor frlm Ward 25, Nicholas representing the local MP ‘s Office, Security/Police representing the Presidents Office, Village Heads, Vari Mayez of VaTonatsa Foundation, Heads of both Pakati schools & their staffs, both School Development Committees local parents, & Mrs Maenzanise, Head of nearby Mapanga Primary school, and the students of both Pakati schools…as well as the Author!
So there were various speeches by the local political representatives & local dignatories, along with entertainment by students of both Pakati schools…
Then we came to the Handover. As the donated computers had yet arrived in Harare, we had to improvise…we decided to use one of the previous computers from 2019 as representing the new machines, plus a pleasant surprise for me😁. Here is how that went:
Back on the road to Pakati…stuck behibd publuc transport!
As usual, after the handover ended there were many demands for photos…here below are several of the best ones!
So the day wrapped up around 4.15pm, after mamy photos, discussions, laughs & smiles…and I thought that was it for this trip.
