Nutrition is the starting point
Warm meals give children energy and families reassurance. This remains essential.
Projects in Zimbabwe
Water makes self-reliance possible.
A daily meal gives children energy. Reliable water enables hygiene, school kitchens and gardens. Together with our partners, we support schools on their journey towards greater self-reliance.
Our approach
One step builds on another.
We help where specific barriers hold back daily life. At the same time, support should not create lasting dependency. That is why, from day one, we plan every project with local ownership in mind.
Water is the foundation
Without water there can be no hygiene, kitchen or garden, and no realistic step towards self-sufficiency.
Self-reliance is the goal
Gardens, contributions to school funding and local initiatives can only grow when communities take ownership.
Water & hygiene
Boreholes make a lasting difference.
At schools without reliable water, every day takes a toll on time, energy and dignity. When water must be carried for kilometres, little capacity is left for cooking, hygiene or gardening. A solar-powered borehole changes this immediately.
- Water directly at the school, kitchen and sanitation facilities
- Solar power instead of ongoing electricity bills
- School gardens as a first step towards self-sufficiency
- Schools, parents and communities lead planning and day-to-day use
Water opens up possibilities.
The value of water becomes clear in what it makes possible: washing hands, cooking, planting and taking responsibility.
Seen first-hand
The difference is tangible.
The videos tell the same story from two perspectives: before, obtaining water took considerable effort. Afterwards, water provides the infrastructure on which schools and communities can build.
Before: carrying buckets every day
After: water at the school
The schools behind our projects
Project names become relationships.
Behind every water project is a school with its own ideas and people who take responsibility. Our project map in Google Earth shows the recorded school locations and their surroundings.
Three schools in 2025
Kawara, Nyamweda and Makuvatsine.
Five new schools in 2026
Chikowore, St Marks Chipashu, Nyamashesha, Nehanda and Murambwa.
152 schools in the nutrition programme
Masiyarwa is one of them. Together with Kapnek, we support daily school meals.
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School meals & education
A full stomach is no small matter.
Together with Kapnek, we support nutrition at 152 schools. The December 2025 overview records 11,460 preschool children. Masiyarwa Primary School in Zvimba is also part of the programme.
A daily meal gives children energy to learn and play. Early learning and health checks complement the school meals programme. Water and gardens also open up opportunities for schools to provide more for themselves.
Health & rehabilitation
Inclusion takes care and patience.
Through local partners, we support children with disabilities and families who are often left to cope alone. Therapy, care and food packages are not secondary concerns. They express the same principle: dignity, not pity.
Local partners
Solutions grow with Kapnek and communities.
The Herz HD Foundation has worked with the J.F. Kapnek Foundation for many years. Kapnek knows local schools, families and structures, and helps guide projects so that they reflect the realities of community life.
This is why trust is essential to every project: boreholes, school meals, therapy and new ways of generating income all need people who take responsibility locally.
Learning together
Not every project is an instant success.
School gardens and poultry farming can supplement a school's food supply. To make them sustainable, goals, responsibilities and the use of any income must be agreed together with the community.
We support these steps, listen to local experience and work together to adjust what is not yet working. The goal remains for communities to take a growing role in sustaining nutrition, school life and infrastructure.
Project overview
Projects in action and growing.
Water, nutrition and health belong together. Explore the schools in our water programme by year and learn about our other areas of work.
A closer look: water & gardens
Chishoshe Primary School
Chishoshe shows how water becomes more than infrastructure. Its school garden demonstrates how a borehole can lead to food production, planning and local responsibility.
- A closer look
- School garden
- Key elements
- Borehole, garden, poultry farming
2025 water programme
Three schools, a shared journey.
In 2025, we supported Kawara, Nyamweda and Makuvatsine. Water provides the foundation for school kitchens, hygiene and further ideas from the communities.
- Kawara
- Nyamweda
- Makuvatsine
- Year
- 2025
- Image
- A view of the water programme
2026 water programme
Five more schools join the programme.
The water programme expands to five more schools in 2026. Each school brings its own circumstances and opportunities.
- Chikowore
- St Marks Chipashu
- Nyamashesha
- Nehanda
- Murambwa
- Year
- 2026
- Image
- A glimpse of school life in Zimbabwe
Nutrition & education
School meals at 152 schools.
Masiyarwa is one of 152 schools receiving food support. The Early Childhood Development programme combines meals, early learning and health checks.
- As of
- December 2025
- Image
- A view of the school programme, not Masiyarwa
Rehabilitation
Therapy & inclusion
Children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities gain access to therapy, care and support for their families.
- Status
- Active
- Focus
- Therapy, dignity, families
Pilot project
Impilo: digital medical records.
Impilo is a pilot project for digital medical records. It aims to make medical information more readily available and support the work of healthcare professionals.
- Status
- Pilot phase
- Focus
- Digital records
Transparency
What sets us apart.
Many organisations offer help. Our focus is on direct impact, first-hand oversight and partnerships of equals.
No administration costs
Travel, office and administration costs are covered privately. Donations go to the projects.
Regular visits
Project visits are part of the work, not a publicity exercise. They allow us to see both the impact and the challenges first-hand.
Kapnek as a partner
Solutions do not simply come from Germany. Through Kapnek, they are developed and sustained with people locally.
Make the next step possible
Support a project with lasting impact.
Every donation helps directly: with school meals, water technology, therapy or a school's next step towards self-reliance.