SUMMARY

We are constantly engaging with various partners, sponsors, and stakeholders in order to fund and facilitate the improvement of our institution and the education we can provide to our learners, so as to better prepare them for the world.

Dishwashing Liquid Project
This project sought to create an eco-friendly dishwashing liquid, emphasising sustainability and hands-on learning. The learners participated in developing, manufacturing, packaging and selling proprietary dishwashing liquid soap. The project not only taught learners about chemistry, entrepreneurship, and environmental responsibility, but also fostered teamwork and innovation. Future plans include explanding the program and developing more products for the school.

Greenhouse Project
This project aimed to address the school’s vegetable supply needs by renovating the greenhouse. With support from ZimWorks, they rebuilt the greenhouse and planted tomatoes, expecting a harvest of 12 tonnes. Beyond self-sufficiency, the project provides learners with gardening skills and improves workers’ productivity. Future plans include expanding greenhouse capacity and enhancing water supply through deeper boreholes.

Solar Power Project
The school installed new solar panels for the hostels and the cold room, addressing frequent power cuts. The project aims to provide reliable electricity for critical activities, including lighting for hearing-impaired learners, food preservation, and access to hot water. Solar Systems - Emmanuel Electrical partnered with the school, and ongoing efforts focus on expanding solar capacity to cover more electrical systems.

Chicken Project
The school reduced financial stress by rebuilding the henhouse and revitalising the chicken project. With ZimWorks' support, the chicken project now provides fresh chicken meat daily, reducing expenses and ensuring adequate protein for learners. Future plans involve expanding the henhouse and greenhouses to further reduce food costs.

SUMMARY

What is the main problem that this project fixed?
This project aimed to achieve three main objectives:

• To teach the learners how to make, package and sell dishwashing liquid soap
• To demonstrate and develop the learners' entrepreneurial skills and capabilities
• To raise funds for the school

How did the project progress?
The project involved researching natural ingredients and experimenting with various formulations to achieve an effective and safe product. Learners gained valuable insights into chemistry and environmental responsibility, while also developing teamwork and problem-solving skills. The initiative not only produced a practical product but also inspired a greater commitment to sustainability within our school community.
The learners are also now familiar with the steps needed to develop, manufacture, package, distribute and sell such products.

NEXT STEPS

What further improvements do we wish to make to the project?

• we invite all members of the greater Emerald Hill community to come and try out our dish washing liquid, it is just as good as the products in the supermarkets, but it is cheaper and will allow us to help and develop our school and our learners
• we also intend to expand our range of products in the future

SUMMARY

What is the main problem that this project fixed?
We have renovated the green house to enable the school to be self-sufficient in vegetable supplies. We also plan to sell part of the harvest to provide the school with a new and stable source of income.

How did the project progress, and who partnered with us?
Thanks to the help and support of ZimWorks we rebuilt the green house and inaugurated the first plantation with tomato plants. Thanks to the green house, we aim to harvest 12 tonnes of tomatoes throughout the season. The expected harvest will have a positive bearing on our expenditure by saving a lot of money that would have otherwise been used to purchase vegetables.
The project is still on-going as we seek to expand the capacity of our greenhouses and as such, increase productivity even further.

How is the school better now that the project has been completed?
In addition to the considerable vegetable output that the green house brings to the school, and the ability to grow and harvest vegetables year-round, it's an opportunity for the pupils to work in the garden and learn new skills that they will use after school. (See our Garden Work practical course.)
Futhermore, improving the garden has given the relevant workers a better and more productive environment and made them happier to come to work.
The two images below show the growth of our tomato plants from May to August 2024.

NEXT STEPS

What further improvements do we wish to make to the project?

• the project is still on-going as we seek to expand the capacity of our greenhouses and as such, increase productivity even further
• we also intend to deepen of our existing boreholes to provide the green houses and gardens with a more consistent water supply

SUMMARY

We have installed new solar panels for the school hostels and the cold room to ensure a steady power supply to these critical facilities.

What is the main problem that this project tried to fix?
Power cuts are all too common in our area, thus disrupting many of critical activities at the school, and without power:

• there are no lights at night, making it very difficult for the hearing impaired learners to interact, communicate, study, and navigate their surroundings.
• it is difficult to keep the perishable food that is essential for the learner's diet fresh
• the learner's do not have access to hot water, which in part is important for personal hygiene, especially during winter

How did the project progress, and who partnered with us?
Thanks to the help and generosity of Solar Systems - Emmanuel Electrical, we have begun to install solar panels and supply the renewable electricity to the school dormitories and the cold room. The project is however still on-going as we endeavour to expand our solar energy capacity to cover most of the electrical systems at the school.

How is the school better now that the project has been completed?
Thanks to this project, the school premises have more reliable access to light, enabling the learners to better communicate with each other, and to do their homework after school, even during powercuts.
With the cold room now consistently operational, perishables foodstuffs can be stored more reliably with minimal losses.

NEXT STEPS

What further improvements do we wish to make to the project?
The project is on-going as we endeavour to expand our solar energy capacity to cover most of the electrical systems at the school, ensuring consistent and reliable power supply to all the school's facilities.

SUMMARY

Being self-sufficient in providing meat for the learners helps to significantly reduce the school expenses.

What is the main problem that this project tried to fix?
The school faces ongoing financial stress due to the majority of our learners coming from economically disadvantaged families. Despite a small enrollment, our expenses remain substantial, particularly daily food costs for the boarders. To address this deficit, the school aims to achieve self-sufficiency by producing significant amounts of its own meat and vegetables.

How did the project progress, and who partnered with us?
Thanks to the generous support of ZimWorks, we successfully rebuilt the henhouse and revitalised our chicken project.

How is the school better now that the project has been completed?
Thanks to this project, we can now provide fresh chicken meat to the boarders on a daily basis. This allows us to reduce our expenditure, while providing our learners with adequate protein for their nurtitional health.

NEXT STEPS

What further improvements do we wish to make to the project?
We hope to expand the capacity of our henhouse and green houses so as to further reduce our food expenditure and financial stress.