“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
There’s an exciting transformation taking place in Zimbabwe right now. It’s grassroots-inspired and led, and from today, you too can get involved.
In communities around the capital, Harare, the courageous women of the Shingirirai Trust are changing lives – their own first and then the lives of others. Against the bleak backdrop of the HIV/AIDS crisis, against the daily challenges of economic and political turmoil, these women – many of them HIV-positive themselves – are coming together to learn, teach and earn their way to a new life of hope and dignity.
Working with the powerful Shingirirai Trust Empowerment Process (STEP) created by psychosocial expert and African development specialist Mel O’Gorman, women like Cecilia Masekereya and her friends Anesu and Martha are learning to:
• live positively with HIV/AIDS
• deliver professional teaching and care to orphans and vulnerable children aged 3-6 years through the Early Child Learning Development (ECLD) program
• offer effective nutrition, parenting and child development to caregivers
• offer life skills to vulnerable teenagers, especially girls, through the Skills Development (SD) program
• learn and teach business skills development to make and sell distinctive textiles and recycled paper products to a growing export market
• become tomorrow’s managers and leaders, regenerating communities torn apart by war, disease and natural disaster.
In the Shona language of the region, ‘Shingirirai’ means ‘perseverance’. The women of the Shingirirai Trust live this word every hour of every day. But to continue rebuilding their communities, they need your help and your financial support today.
We’re asking you to open your heart and reach out your hand by sponsoring one of these special people.
Your sponsorship of €10 each month for a year, a single payment of €120, or whatever amount you feel able to donate today, will enable the Shingirirai Trust to continue its work in the coming year.
Remember, because we are a small, grassroots foundation, every penny you give us goes straight to local staff at the Shingirirai Trust. It pays their very modest salaries, enabling them to continue learning, teaching, caring and running the community’s small business ventures based around handmade crafts.
Find out more about the members’ individual stories here, or watch this short film about the work of the Trust, (with thanks to SAWA Global).
We also invite you to:
• Share our appeal with your friends and colleagues (here is a nice short link for you to cut and paste into your message http://tr.im/rIIB)
• Join us on the Shingiriraihope Twitter site and see this unique story unfolding ‘live’. And if you have your own Twitter site, please tweet about us loud and clear!
I hope you’ll agree that this is a thrilling opportunity to share the effort and the excitement of rebuilding a community – one woman at a time. Cecilia, Martha, Anesu and the other women of the Shingirirai Trust look forward to hearing from you and to working with you.
Thank you so much for your interest and support.
Mel Gorman, Director, The Shingirirai Trust
