By Staff Writer
Thomas Coulter Primary School in Hwange district has received a 3.5kVA solar-powered package donated through a partnership between Vostal Creatives Trust and Climate Action Network (CAN) Zimbabwe, in a move set to end years of disruption caused by power outages and introduce clean, renewable energy to the school.
The handover was held at the school, where members of the School Development Committee (SDC), parents, and learners gathered to formally receive the donation.
Speaking at the event, the SDC chairperson Mr Malvern Daka said the school had for a long time struggled with power cuts that disrupted teaching, learning, and administration. The solar package, he said, would allow classrooms, computers, and school offices to run without interruption, while also giving learners a practical example of renewable energy in action.
“You have not just donated solar panels,” he told the donors on behalf of the SDC, parents, and learners. “You have donated light, opportunity, and hope to our children.” He pledged that the school would maintain the system responsibly so that it continues to benefit learners for years to come.
Explaining how the school came to be chosen, a representative of Vostal Creatives Trust said the donation began with Climate Action Network Zimbabwe, which received support from a donor with one condition: that the funds go toward benefiting young people, whether through a community, a school, or another suitable project. Acting on that brief, Thomas Coulter Primary school became one of the beneficiaries.
He linked the donation to Zimbabwe’s broader development goals, noting that addressing power interruptions through renewable energy supports the country’s drive to reach upper-middle-income status by 2030. Solar power, he said, offers schools like Thomas Coulter a reliable, sustainable alternative to an unstable power supply.
The partnership between the school, CAN Zimbabwe, and Vostal Creatives Trust was described by organisers as a model of what collaboration between communities, civil society, and climate-focused organisations can achieve — combining education, sustainability, and youth development in a single initiative.With the new solar system now installed, Thomas Coulter Primary School joins a small but growing number of Zimbabwean schools turning to renewable energy.
