our themes
Our goal is to highlight the positive aspects of Zimbabwe. We strive to help individuals by encouraging them to work and be self-sufficient. We are an independent, non-governmental charity that works directly with communities in Zimbabwe. We are based in Abergavenny, Wales, UK.
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Our activities include fundraising for community projects and small-scale business start-ups, as well as organising and conducting craft workshops. We raise funds to support people in Zimbabwe primarily by organising fundraising events throughout the UK but also other countries. Additionally, we provide support for schools and development projects in rural Zimbabwe. Our main themes are Education, Health, Food Production and Sanitation (see below).
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We have a Community Interest Company that is associated with the charity and specialises in trading African arts and crafts made by artists in Zimbabwe. We operate on the principles of fair trade, and by dealing directly with the artists themselves, we ensure that they receive a fair price for their goods.
education
our educational projects
Education is essential for building a sustainable community, and it is a human right. It is vital for people to have access to education, as it enables them to find better-paid employment and get out of poverty. In 2017/18, we funded the construction of a library at the Chinamhora Community Centre, with support from Lampeter University students who visited the centre that summer.
The library provides a quiet space for completing homework for those who are in school. It also offers access to books and the internet for everyone in the local community, including children who are not in school. It has a sensory room to accommodate disabled children. The project provides a platform for community links and social networks between the UK and Zimbabwe.
our health projects
Government funding and grant opportunities for people with disabilities in Zimbabwe are scarce, which leaves families struggling to survive. During our trips to Zimbabwe, we provide support to families visiting the centre, from clothing to medical supplies. We work with 20 mothers of disabled children who make and sell items to create an income for themselves and care for their children. We facilitated their training in batik making and machine sewing to expand their product range.
In 2022, we ran a menstrual health awareness campaign, teaching people at the Community Centre how to sew washable reusable sanitary towels. They produced over 3000 towels, which were distributed to all pupils at a large community event. The local chief, Chief Chinamhora spoke about menstrual health, aiming to reduce the stigma associated with talking about women’s health in public. Our hope is that this will lead to higher school attendance by girls, who often miss school during their periods.
health
food production
sustainable food in zim
Our goal is to help the community produce enough food to sustain themselves and even have surplus for trade, leading to a thriving and prosperous community. Taurai Sinaro, the Chinamhora Community Centre Manager learned the principles of permaculture in Uganda with support from Send A Cow. He has set up a food-growing project for the community and organises workshops about organic crop production. The community centre land project serves as a template for sustainability.
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We have a new piece of land to support this ambition thanks to our good relationship with the local Chief. We plan to support the local community to build a sustainable farm on this land whilst preserving the current eco-structure of the land to protect the lower lands from soil erosion and flooding.
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We teach the community about permaculture and how to maintain and sustain plantations. Additionally, we introduced keyhole gardens and an organic bag garden project to grow vegetables with little water in a small space
water, hygiene & toilets
Hygiene and sanitation are crucial to prevent the spread of diseases like typhoid, cholera, and diarrhoea, which can be deadly, especially in Africa. Love Zimbabwe helped the Chinamhora community access clean water by drilling a 64m borehole and installing toilet and shower facilities at the Community Centre and the Chinamhora Clinic from 2009 onwards.
When the Government of Wales funded a Covid-19 response project, Love Zimbabwe responded by partnering with Chinamhora Community Trust to install over 3,000 tippy taps and distribute 4,500 free cotton face masks. They also held an open event at Chinamhora Community Centre to educate the community about the importance of social distancing and how to protect against the pandemic.
To support the five local schools during the pandemic, we provided them with sanitizers, washing buckets with taps, and soap. We also discovered that many villagers were facing food shortages, so food parcels were distributed at the event, funded by The Gibbs Trust.