Lupinyu Primary School has come a long way in a short time. Only a few years ago the children of this community were learning under trees, after the school they had been attending closed its doors and left more than 250 of them without a classroom to go to. Land was allocated for a new government-run, community-owned school, and from there it has grown steadily. Solid classrooms now stand on the site, fitted out with desks, chairs, whiteboards and stationery. A borehole supplies clean water to three taps around the campus, and the school garden keeps improving, helping to supplement meals for the children. Today 239 learners, 123 boys and 116 girls, walk in each day from the surrounding villages.

In June this year, Lupinyu became one of the schools that OAT groups visit, opening its gates to travellers and giving them a window into everyday school life in Zimbabwe. The welcome the learners, teachers and community have given every group since has been warm and completely genuine, and GCF wanted to return it in kind. The one thing the school grounds did not yet have was somewhere to play, and for the ECD and lower grade classes in particular, play is a big part of how learning happens at that age. Thanks to the continued generosity of OAT travellers, GCF is proud to share that a merry-go-round, two dual swing sets and a tire climber have now been delivered and installed at Lupinyu Primary School. Parents and community members turned out to prepare and level the ground, and stayed on to help put the equipment up, while the school leadership oversaw the work locally so that the project stays firmly in the school’s hands. The playground was handed over complete with GCF signage, and it did not take long for the ECD and lower grades to claim it as their own.

The difference at break time is immediate. The children now have a proper space to run, climb, swing and spin, and the kind of active play that builds balance, coordination, confidence and the everyday skill of taking turns. All 239 learners have access to it, and the six teachers have somewhere purpose-built to direct that break-time energy. For a young child, having somewhere to play is part of what makes school a place they want to be. Thank You to everyone who made this possible, and thank you to Lupinyu Primary School for the welcome it gives every group that walks through its gates. For a school that began under a tree, a playground full of noise and laughter at break time is a wonderful place to have arrived. You have given these children somewhere to play, and that is a gift they will enjoy every single school day.