24/12/2025
As 2025 comes to an end, I share this not as a victory but as an invitation to rethink old models with courage and an open mind
2025 has been a landmark year for our foundation and for many humanitarian organizations across Africa.
Global economic strain, ongoing conflicts, and declining external aid have forced all of us in the development space to pause and ask hard questions about sustainability.
The suspension of major grants, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and shifting priorities among donor nations have dramatically reshaped the aid landscape. Like many founders, I watched many of my friends, rightly so, redirect their funding toward women and children affected by the Israel-Gaza war, the Ukraine conflict, and other devastating wars and crises that have left countless children displaced, traumatized, and grieving.
As if these challenges were not enough, restrictions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives significantly reduced my speaking engagements, one of the primary ways I’ve built relationships, raised awareness, and funded scholarships for rural students pursuing higher education.
The message was clear: relying solely on external aid is no longer viable.
As a founder in my mid-sixties, I had to confront a deeper question, not just about funding, but about legacy, dignity, and responsibility. Many of our scholars depend on tuition support for their education, housing, and daily needs. Their futures could not remain at the mercy of global politics or fragile funding cycles.
So I made a decision.
I chose to build a self-sustaining revenue model, even if it meant using my retirement savings, to ensure that rural students that I had funded through my organisation would remain in school, regardless of external funding shifts.
With the support of a small circle of trusted Sahwiras and three courageous friends who believed in the vision, I began negotiating, planning, and building.
Brick by brick, a long-held dream took shape.
As you’ll see in the accompanying photos and video, I’m humbled to share that construction is now complete.
At my homestead in Harare, Zimbabwe, stands the first of what I hope will be many private schools, designed not just to educate but to sustain opportunity.
The Tererai Trent School officially opens on January 12, 2026, welcoming both local and international students. Its core purpose is simple and powerful:
• Revenue from the private school will fund university scholarships for rural students
• Foundation-backed students will never be forced out due to a sudden loss of funding
• Education will no longer rely solely on external aid
This school is more than a campus. It is a giving-back model, rooted in dignity, excellence, freedom, and global responsibility, built to ensure that rural children, especially girls, have a fair chance at a future shaped by possibility rather than poverty.
As 2025 draws to a close, I share this not as a victory but as an invitation to rethink old models with courage and community.
Wishing you peace, reflection, and renewed hope as we step into 2026 together.
