Education
MATTER Career Readiness Institute Expansion
Construction is officially underway in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, on the expansion of the MATTER Career Readiness Institute. This project will double student capacity, growing the program from 25 to 50 students, and allow us to serve more young people with practical job skills and career training. Groundbreaking has been completed, and building is in progress, marking a key step forward in expanding access to education and employment pathways in the community.
The Chaya Project
On January 12, 2026, the Chidobe Women’s Cooperative tried something simple—and smart—to help schools grow healthier gardens: they started 320 Chaya seedlings using plastic bags as planting containers.
Chaya is a nutrient-rich leafy green, but in many school garden sites, termites can destroy young plants before they ever take off. By using plastic bags for propagation, the co-op found a low-cost, easy-to-replicate way to protect cuttings during the early stages and give the plants a stronger start.
The results were encouraging. The seedlings established well in the bags, and the team expects a high survival rate once the cuttings are transplanted. Just as importantly, this approach means schools will receive ready-to-plant seedlings, saving teachers and students time and lowering the barriers to getting gardens started.
The impact goes beyond agriculture. More Chaya in school gardens can mean more consistent access to nutritious greens for students, hands-on learning about food production, and a powerful example of women-led community solutions. At its core, it’s a practical innovation with a big goal: helping ensure no child is stuck trying to learn on an empty stomach.
See the Impact of the Chaya Tree Project in Person
The 2026 Chaya Insight Trip with Sandy Young offers travelers a firsthand look at how MATTER and its partners are improving communities in Zimbabwe through initiatives in healthcare, education, agriculture, and women’s economic empowerment. Participants will engage directly with Chaya co-ops, schools, and community projects – witnessing the tangible impact of sustainable development while experiencing the natural and cultural beauty of Zimbabwe.
Trip Dates: May 28 – June 8, 2026.
Trip Cost: $9,000 per person (25% single occupancy add on)
Want to take the trip? Sign up HERE
MATTERbox
We have a full slate of teams and are SOLD OUT for MATTERbox Madness on March 5th at the Mall of America®️! Thank you to all of our sponsoring companies!
All of these teams will be competing against each other in a live packing challenge to complete the first 10,000 meals of the 50,000 we will provide this summer to kids and families in our community.
One of our new teams is Imprint Engine.
When we asked Carl Wilking, the Chief Operations Officer at Imprint Engine, why they were participating in MATTERbox Madness, he told us, “Giving back is part of who we are at Imprint Engine. We’re excited to come together as Rookie MATTERbox participants: packing snack packs, building connections, and having fun along the way. We may be rookies, but our team is confident, energized, and ready to crush it by challenging what’s possible and keeping the competition on its toes.”
Thank you for joining us this year, Carl and team! And again, thank you to all MATTERbox Madness teams!
If you aren’t able to participate in MATTERbox Madness, we’d invite you to set up your own MATTERbox event. Kick-start your MATTERbox Employee Engagement HERE!
MATTER 360
Six years after the pandemic began, millions of unused medical masks are still sitting in storage—perfectly good, but at risk of ending up in a landfill.
5K Fibres changed that story by sending eight semi-trucks of surplus masks to MATTER 360 in Minnesota, where they’ll be repurposed and redistributed to support nursing homes, clinics, and communities around the world.
This is what sustainability + impact looks like: turning excess into essentials—and keeping valuable resources out of landfills. Learn more about MATTER 360!