Zimbabwe Educational Trust

Zimbabwe Educational Trust provides financial assistance to grass-roots partner organisations in Zimbabwe that engage orphans and other vulnerable in education and enable them to complete their primary education and realise their potential for better lives, and enhance the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3, and in the longer term MDG 1.

Zimbabwe is also one of the countries most severely affected by HIV/AIDS. Around 1,300 people die each week, many of them parents with children who need educational and economic support. UNICEF estimates that 1 in 4 children in Zimbabwe is an orphan. Very few estates are registered and not all deaths are registered despite so many dying. As a result orphans and other vulnerable children find it difficult to obtain birth certificates and parental death certificates without which they are unable to sit for public examinations or access any assistance meant for orphans.

At ZET, we offer a great deal of flexibility to our volunteers. You don’t have to stick to just one role; some overlap, and you are free to change role if you fancy doing something different. Furthermore, if your area of specialty/interest is not covered in these more specific roles, there is the scope to discuss with the Operations Manager a role that is more suitable to you. We want to make sure that you enjoy your experience and get something out of it, so don’t hesitate to get in touch and find out how else you can get involved.

We are a small charity, and this makes our volunteers’ experience unique; their work has a big impact and volunteers are given genuine responsibilities. For this reason, volunteering at ZET is a great way to enhance your CV and boost your career prospects (if you happen to be at that stage in your career); such hands-on experience will help you develop a range of skills in your area of interest. Not only this, but volunteers work closely with ZET’s Operations Manager, gaining a broad and deep insight into the work of an international development, non-profit organisation. This makes volunteering for ZET particularly suitable for those with an interest in International Development/International Affairs and a career in the third sector, or someone who wants to gain first-hand experience in the operations of a non-profit organisation.