The Rubys
Your presence at our wedding is the greatest gift of all. In lieu of traditional wedding gifts, we have chosen to support a cause that is incredibly dear to our hearts: the Tujutane Tongebezi Trust School in Zambia. The school is dedicated to providing quality education to children in need, and we are deeply passionate about the impact it is making in their lives and surrounding communities.
Tongabezi Trust School was born in 1996 from a desire to provide underprivileged rural Zambian children, living within walking distance of the school, with a sound and holistic education in a bid to improve the quality of their lives. Tujatane means 'let us all hold hands together' in the local language, Chitonga. Our vision is to develop the child as a whole and help them gain greater knowledge and understanding of educational and social issues, so they are able to make informed choices and have the chance of bright, promising futures.
Our official name is Tongabezi Trust School but when we opened in 1996 the local community and our founder Vanessa Parker gave us another name too, a Zambian name: Tujatane.
Tujatane means ‘let us all hold hands together’ in the local language Chitonga. It captures the spirit of what we want to achieve, what our school strives to do every day in classrooms, on stage, at the sports field and even in the local community when we all go home at night. We all hold hands: teachers, students, volunteers and donors together, and in doing so we share knowledge and skills to work together for a brighter future. The spirit of who we are lies in this name.
It has been nearly thirty years of a story that started with 15 kids and one classroom. Today, thanks to the generosity from people from around the world, Tongabezi Trust School has over 280 current students, and is made up of classrooms, as well as an art room, a music room and amphitheatre, sports grounds, a library, and a canteen. The children participate in a variety of extracurricular activities such as ICT, sports, music, drama, cultural dance, chess and art. Tujatane also supports over 70 children who have moved on to secondary schools all over Zambia and 62 Tujatane alumni are currently at universities and colleges across Zambia on our tertiary sponsorship programme.
To make a donation on behalf of our wishing well, please click on the below link.
After the wedding, we'll ensure to keep you updated on the impact of your contributions to Tongebezi Trust School. You'll receive updates on the specific areas where your donation has made a difference, allowing you to see firsthand the positive impact of your generosity.
