GlobalGivingUK: Introducing Tekeshe Foundation

A Little Bit of Kindness can go A long Way.... 

Someone I shared my story with a while ago surprised me today in the most unexpected way. I suppose the reason why I was so surprised and close to tears almost was that someone I didn't expect to remembered me and took it upon themselves to ACT. 

As a result I was inspired to write and today I want to introduce to you all the TEKESHE FOUNDATION, but before I enter into the story of  the life changing work being done in Chipinge I would like to highlight two things: 

1)  Never be afraid to use your voice. Share your story. 

There is a shona proverb that says, "Mwana asingacheme anofira mumubereko." and that is translated to a baby that does not cry will die strapped to his mothers back. I am not an advocate for begging but I believe that there is a lot of power in a testimony. I will tell my story not in despair and anguish but in hope for a better tomorrow. I will use my words to hopefully encourage someone in saying that although I may not be where I want to be and things are not 100% perfect in my life I am still here. I shared my story with the young man mentioned above in an effort to encourage him and what I got in return was not only encouragement for myself but a possible solution for what I was facing. 

2) Do something! 

All of the projects and charities listed on the GlobalGivingUK website are shining examples of people who have stood up and done something to shape their communities for the better. They are individuals like yourself and I who saw a need and took it upon themselves to at least try and make a change. Sometimes it may not be much that you can afford to give but in all honesty the very little that you can do can actually be a significant game changer in the life of somebody else. 'They need it More than I do' is a blog post I wrote a few months ago after having one such encounter and I encourage anyone reading this to take a look at it too. What that young man shared with me today was simply a link to a website.

Tekeshe Foundation 

The Tekeshe foundation is one of the projects I will be visiting in Zimbabwe. It is the brainchild of Thelma Sithole who carried forth a vision birthed by her father and has since made great strides in empowering the people of rural Chipinge. Guided by the old saying, "If you give a man a fish he will eat for a day. If you give him a fishing rod and teach him how to fish he will eat for a life time." the Tekeshe foundation focuses on empowering and restoring dignity and hope by providing and promoting economic empowerment, advocating literacy and higher education for both boys and girls, while assisting AIDS/HIV patients and their families with social-economic help. 

The above are all critical areas of need in a country where the health care system is crippled, HIV/AIDS  prevalence is among the highest in the world and harsh economic climates have left Zimbabwe without it's own currency. Such elements have ripple effects leading all the way down to children being unable to attain secondary and even primary school education. As I was going through the Tekeshe Foundation I was struck by the number of testimonies shared by young boys and girls who had it not been for the work of Thelma Sithole and her team may not have had access to a decent education. One such story is that of two orphans Herbet and Lovemore whose parents succumbed to HIV/AIDS several years ago. "In 2007 Lovemore dropped out of school to take care of his brother and his grandmother. Lovemore started his day by going to the market to beg for food. With the help of the Tekeshe foundation Lovemore re-enrolled in school and has now completed his primary education. He is currently attending Rimbi High School."

Some of the initiatives set up by the Tekeshe foundation include:

• Education 

Education is one of the keys to opening the doors of opportunity and as such the foundation has a robust programme that works to provide school fees, school uniforms, books and supplies to underprivileged rural youth. They also provide books to the schools through a partnership with Books For Africa (ZIMKIPPS project), they repair classrooms and deliver ICT to rural schools. Their aim with the ICT project is to bridge the "digital divide" between rural and urban communities. 

• Health

Providing access to health care, clean water, sanitation and combating malnutrition is at the heart of the Tekeshe foundation. By nature of where it is located health care in rural Chipinge is oftentimes poor or non existent this is as a result of poor roads or inadequate means of transportation and sometimes community clinics simply don't have the resources to cater to the medical needs of the communities they serve. As such in 2007 the Tekeshe Foundation launched the Community Care Program in partnership with village health committees and local churches to deliver medical care to people in the Rimbi Clinic catchment area. They provide care and support to those infected or affected b HIV/AIDS, transportation to bring a medical doctor to Rimbi Clinic to treat patients and supply of medicines and equipment to the clinic. Some of their accomplishments to date include the donation of a vehicle to the clinic that is now being used as an ambulance as well as training 10 home based care givers. 

• Economic Empowerment 

Statistics show that more than 325 million people in Africa live on less than $1 a day. The main objective of the Economic empowerment program is to develop the entrepreneurship and employability skills or rural youth and women. The foundation provides micro loans to people to start businesses, for young women and rural youth who are not enrolled in school the vocational program aims to train them in knitting, carpentry, dressmaking and baking. Rabbit and chicken rearing projects, gardening projects and mushroom growing projects are currently underway and also in the pipeline is an irrigation project. 

• Youth 

Young people have the power to change the world if they are given enough support. The Tekeshe foundation vision for the youth is to encourage young people to develop a strong sense of civic and social responsibility. While education is critical the foundation is also committed to the social development of young people. Through their Youth Cares program they teach the youth life skills and offer them opportunities for leadership and development. 

• Food and Clothing 

Tekeshe foundation accomplishments with this initiative include sending 40-foot containers of much needed items such as food, clothing, medicines, medical supplies and school supplies to Zimbabwe in conjunction with New England Pentecostal ministries, United Church of Christ missionaries m A light For Zimbabwe Organization and friends of the the foundation in the United States. They have distributed clothing to over 100 people in Rimbi and neighboring villages, they provide food for 50 elderly people and 50 HIV/AIDS patients. 

While going through the Tekeshe foundation website I was overwhelmed by just how much is being done and how great of a need for it there is. All the above is simply a very condensed summary of all the work the foundation is doing in Chipinge. Their vision outlives what we see in the present and the holistic approach taken is one that will surely transform the lives of many more than it has already. I am so privileged to have the opportunity to go out to Chipinge to see all of this for myself and honestly cannot wait to share my experiences with everyone. I am keeping my fingers crossed to meet Thelma when she travels to Zimbabwe in December as she is based in the USA and will not be around during my visit. The opportunity to sit with such an amazing woman with a heart for the people who also works hard to DO SOMETHING is truly infallible. I cannot wait to hear her story. 

In the meantime I would like to encourage you to visit the Tekeshe Foundation website at http://www.tekeshe.org/ and also their GlobalGiving page where you have to opportunity to donate at http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-100-underprivileged-kids-in-zimbabwe/ . 

Keep a look out for more updates and if you can, DO SOMETHING!

XOXO

Chido Dziva Chikwari 

P.S If you would like to contribute to the GlobalGiving Impact Assessment Programme in Zimbabwe please follow this link to my fundraiser http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/fundraisers/zimbabwe-impact-assesment/ . 

Three lessons I learnt Yesterday....

Yesterday started off as another ordinary day, unique in its own way as always.... It had it's own voice and teachings and as I lay in bed last night I drew from three encounters:

Lesson #1)

"I am attracted to peoples minds. Show me you can think..."

I met a guy today...
(Okay that is not the whole story but it makes for a great beginning.....)

He was different from the sort of guy I would call attractive. He was overweight, on the dark end of the spectrum and really hairy. Not my cup of tea. He was with a friend though and his friend was the complete opposite. The kind of guy you politely smile at and silently pray he notices you.

Anyway I was also with a friend who sort of knew them so at the initial encounter I just smiled politely and looked away ;) We were walking in the same direction and to avoid all awkwardness I snatched out my phone and attempted to look adsorbed. After a bit I noticed that the 'fat' guy was carrying a book I recently bought ( Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). I was pleasantly surprised and asked him about the book. He told me how this was his second run though and all of a sudden conversation began to flow from one element to the next. We spoke about books, formal education in regards to entrepreneurship, career prospects and  life opportunities... (a special selection of things that get my blood rushing)

5 minutes on we reached an intersection and had to part ways. As my friend and I walked away my mind drifted off and I realized that a five minute conversation had literally infiltrated my heart and altered the way I viewed and reverenced someone. This fat guy had made an impact in my life and although it is unlikely, if I ever bumped into him again I would actually be very enthused and eager to have a chat.

So the lesson I learnt, besides the fact that anyone who reads will get 10 extra brownie points in my books, was that a significant amount of my attraction to someone has nothing to do with how they look. Show me you can think and I'll immediately be drawn to you...appearances aside what kept the conversation going and left a lasting impression was intellect. {NOTE: This has relation to Lesson #2}.

P.S. If buy some really freaky coincidence the guy I met on the metro to West Jesmond yesterday wearing a navy blue T shirt and holding Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  gets to read this blog I would like to say Thank you. Thank you for reading, for great conversation and for yesterdays Lesson #1.



Lesson #2)

"Greatness in our midst. If only I had recognized you... "

As I was going through twitter last night I realized that I had met someone kinda famous. He may not be like famous famous but he is really iconic to me and the thing is about 10 months ago I actually met this man at an event but didn't recognize him. We were introduced and shared pleasantries for a bit. In contrast to lesson #1, who he was didn't jump up to me and that encounter went straight to the archive of 'Not that Significant'. 

The man I'm speaking of is what my cousin described as a 'Twitter Guru'. He stands as a voice for young Zimbabweans dealing with many of our issues ranging from politics and elections, current affairs and general outlooks on life be it education, sex or poverty. His influence and reach is growing unequivocally and although I said previously that he may not be famous famous I strongly believe that he is headed there.

The moment it actually hit me that I had met this man  and not known I felt so defeated. I felt like although I had met him I had missed out on a great opportunity. An opportunity to speak with him personally about some of the issues he has raised that I am passionate about, an opportunity to get an autograph or a picture taken or even the opportunity to just be star struck for just a little while. The disappointment that overcame me was insurmountable and as I was laying in bed I started to extrapolate this encounter. I thought about the opportunities I may have missed out on because I didn't recognize them, because they never heralded themselves as a GREAT OPPORTUNITY. I thought about God and Jesus and asked myself if I would be able to recognize Jesus if he walked into a room? I know he is the Son of God and I reverence who he is and what he has done but up until now He and I have never physically met. I read his word, just like those twitter and blog posts but would I miss my moment to have that desired interaction when we actually come face to face because I failed to recognize him?

I'm not sure what the lesson here is but I suppose it could be something along the lines of oftentimes greatness is discreetly lurking in our midst  and we must never take anyone or any encounter for granted. 

Thank you to Sir Nigel for @263Chat. I hope one day we will be able to meet again but in the meantime thank you for yesterdays Lesson #2, for creating a platform for Zimbabweans like myself, for your forum and your voice. 

Lesson #3) 

"When it's time to go it's time to go. Go!"

One of my errands yesterday was to buy my flight ticket back home. The moment that transaction was completed it all began to sink in. Subconsciously I have been prolonging leaving Newcastle for a while now and the reasons for this are varied but none of them link up to not wanting to go home. I love Zimbabwe and I cannot wait to get back BUT in three years I have grown attached to a place I never thought I'd appreciate so much. I have grown love the friends I made. I had settled into a nice cozy lifestyle...my small room, my daily routines, the narrow streets and Great Britain. It's not so much that I want to stay but it's the realization that once it's goodbye it's goodbye. I know I will never come back to living this student life and that once I board that flight it will be the official seal to this season. 

The past three years have been amazing. I have grown so much and what I carry from my time here cannot be summarized but now clearly the season is over and it's time to move on. I have to expectantly look forward to the next season and chapter of my life. My story doesn't end here and I know there are greater things in store for me so it's best I get going.

This brings me to my final point: Everyone has been telling me there are no jobs in Zimbabwe and how I should try by all means to to stay here. There may be a significant truth in all that, however, there is a very specific reason why God is sending me back to Zimbabwe. He will make room for me where I need to be. Jobs or no jobs and when it's time to go it's time to go!! 

The thing is holding onto the familiar and the comfort of where you are at will stunt your growth and hinder your progress. In order to advance sometimes you have to step out into the unknown. In order to receive oftentimes you have to let go of what you are holding onto. Never allow yourself to be your own limiting factor. Change isn't always bad and if I had never left the only home I ever knew ( despite the fear and uncertainty of where I was headed) I would not have experienced Newcastle. I would not be the Chido I am today. 

Go!

XOXO 

Chido Dziva Chikwari