Many young people's, learning is trapped within classroom walls, blocked by poverty, isolation, or lack of opportunity.
Imagine how many dreams that NEVER saw the light of day because one child failed to attend school.
Zimbabwe-Where it began
I founded I Reach Out My Hand Africa (IROMHA) in 2009, thats over 14 years ago, and for all those years I have been its backbone, carrying it forward, funding it out of my own pocket and refusing to let the vision die. This work is never just a project for me; it was born from my own scars.
As a child, I knew what it meant to sit at home because school fees was not paid. I knew the sting of being bright but blocked by poverty. I knew what it felt like to watch opportunities slip away simply because of circumstances beyond my control. That pain shaped me. It planted a fire in me to make sure that other children would not have to face the same struggles I did.
The vision was always simple, yet powerful:
- Keep children in school by breaking barriers like unpaid fees and lack of materials.
- Advocate for free, affordable education and school meals, especially in rural communities.
- Bring in experiential learning lessons that go beyond books into touching, doing, and seeing.
- Build psychosocial support systems to help children fight early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and the emotional struggles that threaten to steal their futures.
This is a promise I made to myself that no child should be forced to give up their education because of poverty or pain. That is why I have given my life to transforming the lives of others.
Read more about my journey here: The Chronicle – Bulawayo https://www.
The Great African Exposure Visit
I took this vision to the people. On 5 May 2023 in Selous, I publicly called for donations, even a single US$1 to support this movement. 263Chat https://www.
But the truth is, no funds came in. At that moment, I had a choice: either let the dream die, or carry it myself. I chose the latter. I reached into my own pocket and sponsored this journey across Africa. Every bus and flight ticket, every backpack for a child, every kilometre, I carried it personally. https://thegaev14.wixsite.com/thgaev/the-project
Experience Through Learning-Aviation in Selous
One of the most powerful moments was back in Selous. Many of the young people there have never left the farm. They have dreams, some want to be pilots but had no idea what that dream even looked like in real life.
So, I partnered with Flight Wings Aviation and Women in Aviation and brought aviation training right onto the farm. For the first time, young people could touch aviation tools, listen to pilots, and imagine themselves in the cockpit. That day, they felt their dream was not impossible.
This became a perfect example of what I call experience through learning- teaching not just by telling, but by letting young people live the lesson.
The Road Travelled
The planned route was ambitious: Zimbabwe → South Africa → Botswana → Kenya → Tanzania → Mozambique → Malawi → Zambia, covering 14 organizations across 7 countries. My Afrika Magazine https://myafrikamag.
What we achieved without external funds was remarkable:
Zimbabwe: 20+ learners supported with school fees, stationery, and backpacks.
Communities reached included Chegutu (Makwiro), Norton, Gweru, and Tsholotsho in Bulawayo. Herald https://www.hmetro.
Zambia: We reached 84 school-age youth (ages 5 to 30) in Lufwanyama, and engaged learners in Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe,Mwense, Mongu and Kalulushi.
South Africa: The press captured the next leg a 21-day journey across Rustenburg, Hartbeespoort, Pretoria, Durban, and Cape Town. In South Africa the journey extended to providing Smart learning in partnership with Durban organizations.
We donated a smart LED screen and books to the Tholuthando Pre-Primary and Daycare Centre in Molweni.
This initiative was aimed at promoting the fourth industrial revolution in pre-schools in disadvantaged communities. Highway-Mail https://www.citizen.co.za/highway-mail/news-headlines/2024/09/28/smart-screen-lights-up-learning
This initiative was aimed at promoting the fourth industrial revolution in pre-schools in disadvantaged communities. Highway-Mail https://www.citizen.co.za/highway-mail/news-headlines/2024/09/28/smart-screen-lights-up-learning
Every stop was proof: exposure changes lives.
The True Impact
The Turning Point-Birth of Tyrone Havnar Foundation
Walking this road, I saw that this journey was not just about me travelling from place to place. It had become a movement. It carried the hopes of children who wanted to learn, of youth who wanted exposure, and of communities that wanted to be seen.
The journey found its permanent home.Tyrone Havnar Foundation was officially born.
What began in Zimbabwe as a dream funded from my own pocket has now grown into a global platform building leaders, giving exposure and planting seeds of hope.
The Great African Exposure Visit was a test of faith, sacrifice, and vision.
It proved that even without external funding, even when the world does not believe, one can still push forward and change lives. It showed that exposure is a form of education in itself one that ignites possibility in places that had none.
From aviation on a farm in Selous Zimbabwe to classrooms in many Countries - a GLOBAL footprint, this journey laid the foundation for everything that Tyrone Havnar Foundation stands for today. And this is only the beginning
Learn more about Tyrone Havnar Foundation : www.tyronehavnarfoundation.co.za
Leading With Purpose!
Wow, I kept seeing my self as I read through this article, a kid that needed help with school material and fees, that used to be my struggle too and I know how it feels to finally know that you are not alone… you are giving back to Mother Nature in ways you are yet to fully comprehend.. thank you for being that help that met those children, teenagers and young adults when they needed it the most. Thank you to the Tyrone Havnar Foundation 🙏
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