US: Oak Lawn students help dreams take root in Zimbabwe

By southwestregionalpublishing.com

TEXAS: When Heather McCarthy travelled to Zimbabwe in 2024, she didn’t expect the trip to change her life, or the lives of her students back home.

McCarthy, the media specialist at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School, was part of the Awakened Women’s Leadership Tour led by renowned humanitarian and scholar Dr. Tererai Trent.

During the visit, McCarthy spent time at Musukwi Primary School, a rural school in a remote part of the country. There, she met children who, despite facing extreme poverty, radiated joy, resilience and a love for learning.

“When I met those students, they fuelled my soul and broke my heart all at the same time,” McCarthy said. “Despite having little to no resources, they were eager to learn. Their spirit moved me deeply, and I knew this was the school I wanted to support.”

When she returned to Oak Lawn, McCarthy shared her experience with her students.

They were immediately inspired to help. Together, they organized the 6K Walk for Literacy, symbolic of the distance many children in Africa walk each day for clean water or to attend school.

The walk raised more than $3,500—enough to get started, but far from the $25,000 needed to build Musukwi’s first-ever library.

Videos from the school’s director in April showed the local community already making bricks for the building’s foundation, despite not yet having full funding. That urgency has fuelled McCarthy’s mission even more.

“Our goal is to have the library completed in time for the grand opening in June 2026, when I’ll return to Zimbabwe to celebrate alongside them,” she said.

To help close the funding gap, McCarthy and her students are hosting Pages of Hope, a community fundraiser set for Saturday, Oct. 18, from noon to 4 p.m. at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park. The event will feature live music, food and raffle baskets, with proceeds going directly toward library construction.

McCarthy hopes the fundraiser will not only raise money but also connect her local community with students across the globe through the power of education.

“This is truly a community-driven project,” she said. “While we’re providing the funding, the people of Musukwi are building the library themselves, brick by brick. It’s incredible to watch.”

Event organizers are seeking sponsors, raffle donations and community support. Ticket sales will open in mid-August, and top donors will have their names included on a plaque inside the library in Zimbabwe as a lasting tribute to their generosity.

“I’ll be able to bring back photos and videos from the grand opening,” McCarthy said. “Our donors will see exactly how their support helped change lives.”

For more information or to donate, McCarthy encourages people to reach out to her at hmccarthy@d123.org.

“Pages of Hope is a way to show students here that they have the power to make a difference in the world,” she said.