Nhimbe School, Magaya, Zimbabwe, Africa

From a report by Karen Barton, Montessori Teacher

In 1995 Karen Madsen-Barton and the local community started the primary Sundborn Children’s house in Albany, Oregon. In 2000 Karen offered to start a school for 3 to 6 year olds in Zimbabwe. Through Jaiaen Beck, a teacher of indigenous African music, this offer was accepted by a local community in Zimbabwe. It was seen as an important step in a grass roots community development and sustainability effort.

Parents of the Oregon Sundborn Children’s House funded the building of a school building in Mhondoro. For these villages, it was the first indigenous pre-school and enjoys widespread community support. The Nhimbe School consistently serves 50 children per day five days a week. Every year, Sundborn School sends educational materials to the school that will fit in Jaiaen’s suitcase—the only sure way to transport goods to this rural region, and funds the serving of a daily, nutritious snack of corn milk and peanut bread.

Through Jaiaen Beck, Karen advises the teachers on how to establish a simple Montessori type environment. There are no specific Montessori materials but the approach has Montessori elements. For example children look after the garden; the building has windows installed at a height that children can look out from; the staff have a rudimentary knowledge that the children should be allowed/encouraged to do what they can for themselves; the materials sent over are ‘consistent’ with Montessori – shape puzzles, bead stringing, simple yarn sewing. Held up as an example of a model pre-school by the government education minister, its graduates excel in the government elementary school.

Karen’s aim is to develop the school into a Montessori school that can become a model school for rural Africa. She is supported in this by the other school leaders including: Cosmos Magaya, Project Manager in Zimbabwe; Golden Munyaka PhD., Zimbabwean Cultural and Educational Advisor in the United States and Jaiaen Beck, Executive Director of Ancient Ways in Scio, Oregon, USA .