Change Student Lives through Education in Zimbabwe

The first term of 2026 has brought new students to Makomborero as well as new participants and mentees for our various programmes! The weather in Zimbabwe is warm, and the rains have been decent. Both our A-Level and university students returned safely to their respective boarding houses and have had a great term/semester so far. Our projects have gone off to a great start with a few wrapped up successfully for the first term. We are grateful to all sponsors, donors and friends of Makomborero for this encouraging start to 2026.

Students’ results

We are so proud to share the good news that our students did extremely well in their final exams. They worked hard, some under very difficult conditions that included long power cuts, limited study resources and scarce water supplies.

Twelve of our incoming A-Level students wrote ZIMSEC O-Level. Their results were:
122 A
12 B

Four of our incoming A-Level students wrote O-Level Cambridge. Their results were:
20 A*
3 A

Twelve students wrote AS Cambridge. Their results were:
38 A
9 B
1 D

Four students wrote ZIMSEC A-Level. Their results were:
13 A
1 B
1 C
Eleven students wrote Cambridge A-Level. Their results were:
14 A*
17 A
6 B

A-Level Scholarship

16 students were awarded A-Level Scholarships for 2026/2027. Of the 16 students, 10 were awarded A-Level Residential Scholarships and 6 were awarded Non-Residential Scholarships. By the end of January, all students had started Lower Sixth, the majority at new schools. We are proud of them for how they have settled in – they have learnt new sports, made new friends and are immersing themselves into extra-curricular activities.

Tablet distribution for Lower Sixes

Our incoming Non-Residential Lower Sixes have been equipped with tablets to aide in their A-Level studies. Mark Albertyn and two of our Makomborero alumni had the pleasure of presenting the tablets to the students. We are so grateful to the Makomborero alumni who have invested hours and hours into this project over the years. Not only did they develop the study app, they also load the tablets with past exam papers and continue to update the app annually. For the majority of young people in Zimbabwe, a gadget like a tablet or an ipad is not an easily accessible study tool and for those who can get their hands on one, wifi data is very expensive. Pre-loaded study material means our students don’t have to worry about wifi. Thank you to all our donors for making such a worthy investment into the education of our students!

Home improvements

Our A-Level boarding house has had yet more significant improvements made to it. New desks have been added to the study area, older desks have been improved and lots of lighting added to make the space brighter and more conducive for study. In addition, a major project for a water reservoir is currently underway. With 2024 and 2025 being two consecutive years of drought, our borehole was no longer sustainable for our 20 students and staff. The project will alleviate water shortage issues. The project is being funded by Beit Trust and we can’t wait to tell you more about it.

University Students

Our local university students started returning to their various universities around the country at the end of February. They have all done well so far and are coping with very busy schedules. Our University Residence for University of Zimbabwe students has had a new front door installed, complete with the Makomborero logo. We have also improved the outside lighting at the residence.

Ndeipi Small Business Training

This project has welcomed 14 new participants who will journey through 2026 learning what it means to start a business without getting into debt, as well as to sustain the business and be profitable. Participants are selected from parents and relatives of students and mentees, past students as well as current students. We have seen some amazing projects in the past, some of which are still running. We are looking forward to telling you more about what the 2026 participants get up to.

Mutsidzira

Three past Makomborero students were awarded Mutsidzira grants. This year going forward, applicants have the choice to either apply for a grant focusing on the community or take on the small business model where they keep some of the profits and give some of the profits to the work of Makomborero. Two students, Marshall and Ruvimbo have taken the community-based route for 2026. Marshall will be using his grant to buy and sell merchandise. Profits for this will go into business training for young people in Zimbabwe. Ruvimbo will be hosting AI and Chat GPT lessons in local schools targeting 16-18 year olds. Lynmary chose the small business model and she will run a chicken project.

Mobile Science Lab

15 students aged 14- 16 had the wonderful opportunity to have hands-on experience at our Mobile Science Lab. They had 6 weeks of doing Physics and Biology practicals as well as designing models that they printed using a 3D printer. They enjoyed putting into practice the theory they had learnt at their schools and this was clear from their very high attendance (93-100%). As always, the term ended with a special lunch and a game of football - the winning team received a medal designed and printed by our Mobile Lab teachers. Thanks to you our donors and sponsors, this term we were able to buy 5 new lab coats to replace the few that were a little worse for wear.

Girl Child Programme

We started this year with thirty 13–15-year-old mentees across 3 schools. They are excitable and zealous and they have already learnt a lot in the last two months. We have loved watching them grow and we are encouraged by little things like the confidence they show when they read out loud, the compassion they openly display for each other and the laughs they share freely week in week out.

What’s next?

Our A-Level students will be taking a well-deserved break from the 2^nd week of April to the 2^nd week of May. Our projects are starting to wrap up for the end of the 1^st term. Local university students will finish the current semester in June. The longest term of the year begins in May. We are also looking forward to starting our recruiting process for the 2027/2028 A-Level Scholarship this May.

Thank you

We feel we’ve had a successful term and we couldn’t have done so without your donations, sponsorship and support! Thank you!

• Breakdown of expenses for this projects (XLSX)