Our story
From a two-room school beside a farmhouse to three campuses educating well over a thousand children — a story told mostly through the people who lived it.
A farm, and a school beside it
In 1979 Martha van Duren emigrated to Macheke, Zimbabwe.
Land reform, and holding on
Zimbabwe's land reforms took two-thirds of the family farm.
A foundation, and a second school
After her husband Herman's death, Martha founded DFZ in 2007.
Water, and a name kept
Martha's second husband, Kees Westerhuis, lived to see his water system completed.
Methven/Rare completed — and a new request
Three new classrooms brought Methven/Rare to nine classrooms.
Howgate High School
Howgate opened in February 2022 with 87 first-year pupils.
The people behind it
An entirely unpaid board in the Netherlands, a trust in Zimbabwe, and an ambassador who never really left.
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Board members receive no payment of any kind for their work.
A Zimbabwe-registered trust.
Co-founder of the foundation.