Connecting St Mary’s to the world
Learning at St Mary’s Primary School outside Victoria Falls has taken on a new dimension, thanks to the continued support of the Grand Circle Foundation (GCF). Their recent donation of USD1,800 has covered 15 months of Starlink Internet connectivity, keeping the school connected to the world.
The Starlink equipment was already in place at the school, but keeping up with the monthly subscription had become difficult. GCF’s support has lifted that burden, and the school’s 1,034 learners can now use online resources for their projects, explore topics beyond the textbook, and build digital skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom.
For the school’s 34 teachers, reliable internet has become an everyday teaching tool, giving them access to up-to-date resources and new ways to bring lessons to life. And because the school no longer needs to stretch its own budget to cover the subscription, those funds can go towards stationery and other learning materials instead.
Thank you GCF! This is an investment in opportunity that reaches far beyond a Wi-Fi signal.
A safe, new ablution block for St Mary’s
Many of the school’s existing toilets had deteriorated so badly that the Ministry of Health instructed the school to demolish them, deeming the structures a hazard to learners. With well over 1,000 students relying on the facilities that remained, the school was left well below the recommended ratio of one toilet for every 20 learners.
Now, thanks to the continued generous support of the GCF, CITW Zambezi is proud to share that St Mary’s Primary School has a brand-new six cubicle Blair toilet block. Constructed from the ground up with proper pit excavation, a concrete slab, brick superstructure, ventilation piping and roofing, the new block has been allocated specifically to the school’s Early Childhood Development learners, the youngest and most vulnerable children on site, who need safe and easily accessible facilities close to their classrooms.
For these young learners, having clean, dedicated toilets nearby now means fewer disruptions to their day and a safer, more dignified school experience. For the wider school, the new block has eased the pressure on the facilities that remain, giving all the students a better chance at a healthy, hygienic learning environment.
It is the first step in closing a much larger gap, but an important one, and it is already making a visible difference.
The School Development Committee, teachers, parents and learners of St Mary’s Primary School have expressed their heartfelt appreciation for this contribution, recognising it as an investment not only in sanitation, but in the health, dignity and education of their children for years to come.
On behalf of everyone at CITW Zambezi, thank you GCF for heeding St Mary’s needs, and responding with solutions that are keeping St Mary’s learners safe and healthy, and connected.
