School Construction Update

In January, Save the Children put the finishing touches on a new water pump on school grounds. Over the past month, workers drilled nearly 140 feet into the ground to find water.

The community chipped in by digging trenches so workers could lay the pipes connecting the water hole to a water storage tank and pump. For the first time, clean water is flowing from the tap.

Construction of two teacher's houses is nearly complete. Window and door frames were recently fitted and workers are installing the roof trusses. Two new classrooms also are almost finished being built with roofing to start in the next few weeks.

Save the Children, weather permitting, plans to complete the first phase of the construction, including additional classrooms, latrines, a school administration building and a preschool playground by December 2012.

The Story Behind Tererai Trent and the Matau Primary School Project

It was 2009 when Tererai Trent touched the hearts of millions during her first appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" where she shared her passion for education.

Tererai grew up in a remote village in Zimbabwe and always had a desire to learn, but was unable to pursue an education. At 11 years old, Tererai found herself married and soon after the mother of five children. With help from the people of her village, Tererai made her way to the United States in 1998, and just three years later, she received her Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Education. Today, Tererai holds both a Masters and Doctorate degree.

Tererai never forgot about the people who helped her along the way and her new dream was to re-build the Matau Primary School in her home village in Zimbabwe.

During the May 20, 2011 episode of "Oprah" titled "Oprah's All-Time Favorite Guest Revealed!," Tererai received the surprise of a lifetime when Oprah announced that The Oprah Winfrey Foundation would donate a $1.5 million grant to Save the Children to re-build the Matau Primary School, fulfilling Tererai's dream of quality education for thousands of children in her village.

With the $1.5 million grant, Save the Children will begin construction on new classrooms, latrines, a preschool playground, a school administration building and teachers’ houses in the next few months at Matau Primary School in Tererai’s home village. Save the Children also will supply locally-made desks, chairs, books, toys and other learning materials for students and preschoolers, and beyond infrastructure updates, the education project will improve learning and help youngsters get on track for school, reaching nearly 4,000 children at Matau Primary School and in neighboring communities.

Save the Children will spend three years training teachers, carrying out a community-wide literacy program, and helping instructors plan and prepare activities for preschoolers to help them succeed in school.