OSU Hargis Leadership Institute

07/20/2026

Bonus day in Harare! Well, today didn’t go as planned. Our flight leaving Harare was canceled. So after a very long day at the airport, we believe we have new flights home tomorrow. Today was a leadership lesson in flexibility and navigating complicated systems. The students were incredible; they were flexible and stayed positive! So following their lead of staying positive, here are a few pictures from the fun we had throughout the entire course!

07/20/2026

Today was our last full day in Zimbabwe. We had a wonderful time shopping in a market and seeing our last few animals. We also had the honor of being guests of a few dignitaries at their rural land. We have learned so much about how leaders create sustainable change. Tererai Trent has been an incredible teacher and host for our group. It has been a tremendous honor to learn from her and the people of Zimbabwe!

07/20/2026

Saturday update (last day in Victoria Falls):
We started the day with a great view of the Vic Falls gorge. Then we went to the markets before flying back to Harare. We ended the day with an incredible conversation with Tererai about what we’ve learned from our time in Zimbabwe. 🇿🇼

07/17/2026

Thursday and Friday update! We flew to Victoria Falls and hiked along the Zimbabwe side of the falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya—The Smoke That Thunders). It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World, and it is breathtaking! We were soaked by the end of the hike from the mist.

That evening, we went on a dinner cruise and saw dozens of hippos, a crocodile, an elephant, and a stunning sunset!

On Friday, we drove to Botswana (on the drive we saw hyenas, elephants, and Cape buffalo), and we went on a safari in Chobe National Park.

These last two days in Vic Falls have been a strong juxtaposition to the village. We continue to reflect on our time and what we learned about leadership and creating sustainable change. We have a great group of students who are now more equipped to lead and create positive change.

07/16/2026

Here’s a student reflection from Tuesday:

The power of hope.

We started the day watching the beautiful sunrise and preparing ourselves for the day ahead around the campfire while we ate a delicious breakfast. It was the perfect way to start a long day. Enjoying each other’s company before traveling to several schools. All we could do was hope it was a great day with lots of eye-opening experiences. Hope in mornings.

Then we made the drive to Zvimhonja Secondary School. We had the amazing opportunity to look at their garden that TTI funded to go with their borehole. It is so inspiring to see these schools working to serve their students. Hope in hard work.

After looking at the garden, we looked at their new science lab and had the privilege of watching their students perform various science experiments for us. They showed us how to filter water and how lungs work with a model of the organ made from a cut up water bottle and a balloon. Hope in opportunities for careers and advancements in science.

We asked the students who presented, all girls, about their dreams and two of them told us they wanted to be lawyers and one wanted to be an engineer. It is heartwarming to see ambitious young women, especially after finding out they will be the first in their families to graduate high school. Hope in the future.

Our next visit was to Musukwi Primary School. They greeted us with an organized ceremony that consisted of dancing and information about all the projects they were working on in their school. Then they gave us a tour. We saw old classrooms, new classrooms, the library, and the computer lab. We congratulated them on all they have accomplished. Hope in progress and resilience.

It was very special to see a school that is putting every bit of their resources into improving the infrastructure for their students. They definitely have an impressive leadership team led by a female head mistress (principal). Hope in successes.

My favorite part of the visit to Musukwi was the library. We brought some books to add to their collection, and it was inspiring to watch the joy of the librarian’s face when she saw all the books! I am so happy to see that they will benefit from our donation. Hope in partnerships.

The last stop of the day was Medudzo Primary School. They are in one of the driest areas of Zimbabwe, and they have tried drilling boreholes for their school 3 times already and never got water. We were there because Wishes for Water fundraised to attempt to drill in another area of the school, and we went to watch the drilling process. Hope in water.

One thing I made sure to take note of was the surveyor. He examined 3 spots before he found the one and when he was telling us about it. He was a highly skilled professional. It was awesome to see someone who had the opportunity to get his education continue to pour into the people of Zimbabwe in a way that supports everyone getting an education. He was also an amazing leader. He didn’t just tell his team what to do. He was in every step of it, even taking on the harder tasks. Hope in good leaders.

The kids at Medudzo were a bit calmer than other schools, but maybe they were hesitant because of the past failed attempts for water. They still had big smiles, and you could feel how hopeful they were when you looked in their eyes. Hope in generations.

The current well at Medudzo is shallow, unclean, and producing rusty water. This is a community that has never had reliable clean water. After all the kids went home for the evening two little boys walked by and started to put dirty water from the well into their bottles. We handed them one of our unopened water bottles and they could not believe it was for them. Seeing the smiles on their faces really melted my heart because something like clean water that seems so simple to me is life changing for them. It made me hope even harder for the borehole to hit water. Hope in a helping hand.

When you drill into rock there is a lot of dust, but if the rock is full of water the water weighs it down and the dust doesn’t flow all through the air as much. I kept watching as there would be less dust and then lots of dust. Over and over again. The dust could never make up its mind. I just prayed harder every time. Hope in desperation.

The drillers were contracted to drill to 80 meters, and they expected to hit water at 65 meters. Then 65 came and no water. 70 and still no water. 75. nothing. 78. the chunks of dust were wet! It was too dark to continue. They made the call to drill past 80, but it would have to wait until morning. So, we left. Left hoping for water for a school that desperately needed it. Hope in tomorrow.

We found out this morning that they hit water! Enough water to give kids clean drinking water every day and sustain a small livestock farm! Hope in success.

The power of hope.

07/16/2026

Student reflection from this past Monday in the village:
Today we saw themes of sustainable leadership put into practice in many different settings. This was our first day visiting schools across rural Hurungwe and it was a life changing experience for every single one of us. We saw schools located in a very difficult region that had communities built within them that refused to let their surroundings define their circumstances.

Our first trip was to Matau primary. This was by far the biggest school we visited today with over 1,200 students, and they were very excited to have us there. They danced with us, sang songs, and chased us to our car when we had to leave. The energy was unmatched, and we were deeply honored to get to see such a wonderful school with leadership that is working toward sustainability.

The second school we visited was called Chivakanenyama Secondary school. This is one of the schools that received borehole funding from Wishes for Water and has constructed a massive farm that serves many purposes within the community. This school was a really great example of sustainable leadership. The school grows food that they then sell, which funds construction projects at the school including a brand-new science lab. This science lab was awesome because it has inspired students to pursue careers in the sciences such as medicine. Tererai explained to us after visiting Chivakanenyama that students attending schools without science labs cannot pursue university degrees in the medical field, so, having this lab shows the forward thinking of the leadership at this school.

We also visited Chiroti secondary and primary schools, and this was an extraordinary experience for us. When we arrived, we saw the school was drilling a borehole (another well funded by Wishes for Water). During our time there the students, teachers, and community came and celebrated as they hit water at just 30m! (Most boreholes hit water around 60m, meaning this location now has access to a good supply of water to build up their next community project.) The school officials here explained to us how they were going to use the borehole to build a goat farm which will be used to fund projects like building new school buildings and better the school infrastructure.

Throughout today another thing that stood out to us was how when schools thanked the TTI foundation and Tererai herself for the work they do across this part of the country Tererai was quick to tell them that she stands on their shoulders. I think this is a good example of humility in leadership.

Today was an awesome day of learning and seeing practical examples of how leaders across rural Zimbabwe are changing the world for the children and families in their community.

07/15/2026

Wednesday Update:
First off, an update on the water well from yesterday. It’s a huge relief for the community—the school hit water this morning as they were finishing the well! This school now has access to clean water for the first time.
Today we drove back to Harare. Then we had a sports day with the TTI School in Harare. We challenged the students in basketball, volleyball, and tennis. It was an incredibly fun day!

07/15/2026

Tuesday update:
Today was a glimpse into the reality of life in rural Zimbabwe. We visited three schools. We were welcomed with singing and dancing. We toured the garden project at one school, a brand new school block and library in a second, and watched a water drilling in a third. We experienced the joy of success in the first two schools, but darkness paused the drilling at the last school without finding water. Hopefully tomorrow brings water, but our group felt the heaviness of the reality of water scarcity. We are learning so much about how to lead and create sustainable change, and the people of rural Zimbabwe are inspiring, both in success and in the challenges they face.

07/13/2026

What a Monday!
Today we visited four schools in the rural region of Hurungwe. The day started with singing and dancing at Matau. The energy was unbelievable. Then we saw the amazing innovation of Chivakanenyama Secondary School with their science lab, bee hives, garden, feeding program, and new school buildings. Then we visited the secondary and primary schools for Chiroti. Both schools are great examples of resilient and innovative leadership.
The biggest excitement of the day was the borehole sponsored by Wishes for Water. If you aren’t familiar with this student-run philanthropy, please look them up and consider supporting them. Wishesforwater.org
Thankfully, the drilling was successful and now this school will have access to clean water and enough water for innovative projects that can create sustainable change in their community!
Today ended with fireside reflections with Tererai Trent. What a life-changing day!

We help provide a sustainable and clean source of water in the Hurungwe School district of rural Zimbabwe.