Zimbabwe Rural Schools Library Trust wins Best Literary Development Initiative Award

The organisation’s work was noticed through a book published in 2024 to mark its tenth anniversary. This accolade celebrates the book’s contribution to education and social development and reflects the impact of the Trust’s work over the past decade.

Titled Uniting the World for Rural School Library Development, the book was intended to mark the Trust’s 10-year milestone of mobilising books for over 100 rural schools and advocating for the establishment of libraries in schools in Zimbabwe. Several individuals and former students’ associations were inspired to build libraries at rural schools they or their parents went through the organisation’s Know Your Roots campaign, which encouraged people to give back to their communities.

The book also highlights initiatives such as sponsoring an orphaned student to complete high school, running reading promotion programs, producing a musical album to encourage literacy, and advocating for national library policy reform through engagement with the Zimbabwean government.

Edited by Dr. Eric Boamah, a Ghanaian national who lectures at the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, the publication includes chapters written by the late Tonderayi Chanakira, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Skills Audit and Development, Professor Paul Mavima, former Minister of Information and Communication Technology Advocate Nelson Chamisa, ladies who studied at benefiting schools, namely Rufaro Marbo Lunga, who did her Ordinary level studies at Igava High School in Wedza, and Kudzaishe Mungwena, a former student at Batanai High School in Gokwe. The former President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Barbara Lison, wrote the preface, while Professor Tinashe Mugwisi of the National University of Science and Technology did the foreword. Other contributors include Mr. Macdonald Nhakura, Mr. Carren Musada, Dr. Kudakwashe Tuwe, Dr. Josiline Chigada, Dr. Shadreck Ndinde, Mr.Kudakwashe Muchenje, Mr. Bert Nyabadza, Dr. Eric Boamah, and Mr. Driden Kunaka.

With such a diverse array of contributors, the book covers a wide range of interests, giving an in-depth coverage of factors influencing the state of school libraries, particularly in the rural areas of Zimbabwe. It provides solutions to the slow growth of school libraries and recommends legislative reforms to ensure adequate attention is given to school library development.

Officially launched in Zimbabwe by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr. Torerayi Moyo, and in Australia by the Deputy Mayor of the City of Belmont, Councillor Deborah Sessions, the book is available online from Amazon. In Zimbabwe, hard copies can be obtained from Mr. Macdonald Nhakura, who can be reached on  +263 77 304 8590.

The Zimbabwe Rural Schools Library Trust was registered as a Charitable Trust in Zimbabwe in 2012 and in New Zealand in 2013. It rebranded in Zimbabwe to become the Zimbabwe Rural Schools Library Initiative in Zimbabwe following the decision to register as a Private Voluntary Organisation in 2023, as Zimbabwe legislation does not allow the name of a Private Voluntary Organisation to have the word Trust as part of its name. The New Zealand chapter still operates as Zimbabwe Rural Schools Library Trust, but in Australia, we have obtained an ABN as the Zimbabwe Rural Schools Library Initiative to reflect the name now used in Zimbabwe, the benefiting country.

Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Rural Schools Library Initiative in Zimbabwe, Dr. Josiline Chigwada, says the accolade is testimony of the hard work that has been done over the years. “Getting people who benefited giving testimonies proves beyond a reasonable doubt that we are on course to do greater things. We thank all the authors, advertisers, and donors who made this book a reality,” she said.