Mrs Chibuwe

Mrs Chibuwe is a teacher at Chapwanya High School in Buhera District, Zimbabwe.She has been in the teaching practice since 1995. She was trained by CAMFED as teacher mentor in 2006.

As a teacher mentor, Mrs Chibuwe works mainly with young girls in her school providing guidance and counselling. She has seen the impact of her work from the many students who return to her thanking her for the assistance she gave them, years after they have left school. Some even volunteer to carry out motivational sessions with students at the school. Not only do young girls come to her for advice, but young boys as well, and some community members are now coming to her for advice.

Male teachers are also now bringing to her attention problems that they note students face. Apart from assisting students through guidance and counselling, Mrs Chibuwe also provides financial and material support – and works with Mother Support Groups and Cama members to maximise what they can do for the children in an approach dubbed ‘Together We Can’.

“The ‘Together We Can’ training was very helpful as it showed us that if we work together, we can achieve more,” says Mrs Chibuwe. As a teacher mentor, she is working closely with Mother Support Groups members and Cama members in her area and says that these groups work very well together. Every month, when the Mother Support Group holds its meetings, they invite her and Cama members to take part. When the Mother Support Groups want to donate things to the school, they inform the Cama members and they strategise together and combine their items to donate.

The Mother Support Groups in the area are also now working together. Recently five groups collectively donated books, pens, soap, maize, towels, salt and Vaseline to needy students at a primary school.