Education is the road out of poverty

Eight-year-old Tineyi takes my hand and leads me into her mud-thatched hut in my home village of Matau in rural Zimbabwe. There, in a dark corner of the room, is a wooden bookshelf. Carefully crafted by her father, it protects her word-filled treasures from the smoky fire inside the small hut where her mother cooks. I smile, knowing that her father has recognized the value these books will bring to his little bookworm -- a life ahead of her with limitless opportunities.

It was not a life intended for many girls in Africa. As a cattle-herding tomboy, I was bound to follow in the footsteps of generations of women before me: early marriage, illiteracy and poverty. Back then, most kids in my village never had a chance to attend pre-school because it didn't exist. Instead, we would spend hours chasing birds and monkeys from our parents' fields.

Gold mines and urban factories employed men, while women remained at home to look after their children. The more men could read and write, the better their chances of being employed and able to provide for their family. As a result, families wanted to educate their sons, who became village role models. Without an education, how could girls compete? How could they become role models, too?

That was more than 40 years ago.

Today, change is happening in my beloved Matau, and all across the long red dirt roads, verdant mountains and open blue skies of Africa. The leaders of African countries have made education more of a priority, even for girls. Now, girls can be role models. Girls like me, a cattle herder who married young, and by age 18 had three children and no high school diploma. But I defied the odds, got an education and came back to build a school.

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Matau parents and villagers are seeing the value of educating girls. Girls can become leaders of our communities and our African nations. Many parents bring their daughters to me and ask: "Can she be just like you?"

Matau parents are sending their daughters to school like never before. Education is the pathway out of poverty and the road to change for boys and girls alike. Mothers, fathers, teachers, brothers and sisters have come together to feed the minds and cultivate growth in learning among children. Extraordinary things can happen when you put the right tools in the hands of communities. They flourish. They become change makers.

It is a road to change that leads to Matau and surrounding communities. Here, through a partnership with the Oprah Winfrey Foundation and Save the Children, Matau children are getting a safer school and a better quality education.

The community is partnering with Save the Children, the Rural District Council and the Ministry of Education, Sport, Art and Culture, to prepare young boys and girls for school and help older children improve their reading skills, with promising early results. It is an amazing transformation. Our teachers have been trained to keep up with this growth.