During the cold
season in Zimbabwe when temperatures can dip below zero centigrade, power
rationing in the dormitory at Natasha Magwani’s boarding school made getting
ready for class each morning, a daunting and discouraging process.
“Taking a bath in
the cold winter mornings was a traumatic experience,” says Natasha (18).
“Attendance would be compromised as we oftentimes got ill. Personally, I could
not wake up early enough to queue up for the [limited supply of] warm water in
other dorms that had an electricity supply.”
Natasha attends Regina Mundi High School, which is on the Harare-Bulawayo highway on the outskirts of Gweru town in the midlands province. Over time, high electricity bills led the school to introduce power rationing which resulted in the limited availability of hot water to serve one of the dormitory’s 72 students. However, things changed in August 2017 when Regina Mundi High joined the Green Schools Initiative and installed solar-powered geysers.
The Green Schools
Initiative is a component of the Green Innovators Hub (GiHub) phase 2, which promotes
green schools, green jobs and green innovations in Zimbabwe. It is supported by
UNICEF and Action 24 (a regional environmental
youth Non-Governmental Organization), with
generous funding from the government of Sweden.
As member of her
school’s Environment Management Club Natasha helped to write a proposal that was
entered in a Green Schools competition aimed at stimulating climate action,
enhancing renewable energy appreciation and environmental stewardship in
primary and secondary schools.
Adjudged as one of
the top 10 entries, Natasha’s school received a US$2,500 prize and used the
funds to purchase and install the solar panels.
The Green Schools Initiative helped Natasha’s school in more ways than one. In addition to guaranteeing the students a warm water start each morning, the solar panels have improved the school’s finances. According to teacher, Yvonne Mutongi, who supervises the Environment Management Club, “This solar-geyser project has cut electricity bills, which is a relief to the school.” The initiative is also helping to increase awareness and action on environmental issues.
“[Participating]
in this is a great privilege,” says Natasha. “Through it I had an opportunity
to appear on national television talking about this solar-powered geyser
project, [which has] given us a reliable alternative source of power.”
Each term at the
school the Environment Management Club also has a special slot to teach fellow
students about the importance of preserving the environment. “New members join
every year to replace the outgoing, who are in examination classes,” said
Natasha. “Currently we are 21 and we try to keep the number below 50 for easy
coordination.”
Natasha’s interest in environmental advocacy started when she
presented a speech during Environment Day celebrations in 2012. “[It] caught
the attention of a pastor who had come to grace the event who then prayed for
me to be a full-time environment advocate,” said Natasha who now hopes to have
a career as an environment champion. “In future, I want start a non-profit
making organization that will fight for environmental issues!”
The Green Schools programme in
Zimbabwe aims to support implementation of the new education curriculum
particularly in areas which promote practical learning. To achieve this, the
project targets and works with environmental clubs, supporting initiatives that
promote environmental education and learning. The overall goal of the programme
is to incubate and stimulate climate action which leads children into living
and leading sustainable green lifestyles. The programme offers both technical
and financial support services to these environmental clubs to demonstrate
projects and ideas that ensure practical learning whilst greening the school.
The overall impact of the programme is to see schools and communities adopting
and utilising mechanisms
that help conserve the environment, while at the sometime reducing the burden
of climate change. Approximately 500 students are currently involved in
environmental clubs across the country.
