As a direct support to the formal education initiative, the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, ZRCS,
runs a Red Cross High School on a full time basis and the school acts a model for all Disaster
Risk Reduction and Youth related programming. The Red Cross High School which was established in
2015 with the thrust of offering quality formal education to orphaned and vulnerable children as
well as resource mobilization. The School, situated in Harare has an enrolment of both day and
boarding scholars from form1-6 who are from diverse social backgrounds who pay termly fees for
sustainability.
The School is registered under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Reg. No
IC/HARARE/526/15) and is an accredited Zimbabwe Schools Examination Centre. It is located at Red
Cross owned facility, number 165 Kambuzuma Drive, Westwood in Harare Metropolitan.
Mission
The School’s Mission is “to provide premium and inclusive education and lifelong survival skills
to the young and needy in Zimbabwe” This statement is a legacy of the humanitarian imperative
which supported the school’s origin and fit in the model of community development-oriented
schools.
Objectives:
- To develop a complete student who understands and lives by the principles of Unity,
Impartiality and Humanity. This is aptly captured in the School’s logo.
- To offer high quality education with latest technology even for the less privileged
students, through high Information Technology, science and humanities education through
appropriate tools.
- To ensure that students are able to develop intrinsic appreciation of values to selflessly
help and care for others.
Approaches
To achieve this, the School is paying close attention to innovative ideas that might motivate
students, make learning more relevant, increase deep learning, and provide students with new
types of programs and new ways of teaching and learning.
Through the school, students are inculcated with the Red Cross ideology, principles as well as
orientation to the humanitarian sphere.
Establishment of Red Cross Clubs at the School where students meet on a weekly basis and are
specifically taught about Red Cross Fundamental Principles, ideology and humanitarianism in
general. This has seen the birth of a replica partner clubs in other schools where they
regularly interact through exchange programmes.
The school has so far started using IT updates as new resources for learning, e.g. interactive
boards, or the online courses including some free Red Cross courses on the E-learning platform
where participant is issued a free certificate. This platform can help reinforce knowledge of
the RC movement issues such as IHL, First Aid, Red Cross principles. This is a Red Cross niche
which is not provided in all learning institutions.
The School has also partnered with other schools through exchange programmes so that the students
get exposure on the different contexts such as those in rural areas so that they can share
experiences.
The School is involved in various outreach and in reach experiences that enables the students to
better provide a more “authentic” education experience. Examples of powerful outreach
experiences occur when students are provided with internships in local health clinics and
hospitals, schools and colleges, social work agencies. “In reach” experiences - outside visitors
brought to the school to talk with students about careers and experiences – is also a powerful
way to connect students to the outside world. These are all available in the Red Cross
programming.
Besides all the other academic subjects, the school has a more emphasis on “Catching them Young”
as deliberate lessons on humanitarian principles are taught and the students are involved in
various community projects
Exchange programmes with Partner National Societies where students are supported to attend Youth
leadership training courses in other countries such as Denmark and Finland has resulted in a
positive cross pollination of ideas as the students share their experiences with their peers.
Sustainability
Partnerships include with key government departments such as the Ministry of Education on the Red
Cross High School and for the ZRCS to carry out and promote Humanitarian Education activities
within schools using the Red Cross School experience as a model. The latest partnership for ZRCS
is on Youth for Sport to ensure health promotion and talent development with Sports and
Recreation Commission.
All this is supported by legislation as the Zimbabwe Red Cross Act number 30 of 1981 gives the
National Society mandate to inspire boys and girls of school going age with the ideals,
knowledge, skills and attitudes of the Red Cross Movement.
