Educate and Empower 18,000 Girls in Zimbabwe

Walking towards the massive greenhouse, I look to my side and see an open field where cabbages are growing. They are green, round, beautifully framed by large leaves that touch the cabbage next to it. I am happy to see the sheer abundance of food growing under the winter sky here in Zimbabwe. I turn to the greenhouse and open the door, gasping at the sheer size of each of the cabbages growing in here.These guys are massive! Giant cabbages fill the tunnel, dwarfing the ones growing outside. It is amazing!

I look up and notice that part of the plastic on the roof is gone, torn in a windstorm. That explains why the cabbages in the back are smaller than the ones right in front if me. At this moment, it all comes together...the importance of these tunnels in protecting the vegetables and fruit grown inside them, while providing the right temperature and water.

This project is a good one, feeding all the children and staff at the Sandra Jones Center, while providing cash for the center from the sales of excess veggies. It is a true joy to see this in person and to be able to thank all the donors who make these tunnels happen. With at least a dozen more planned in three different projects, we are excited to continue helping orphanages become self sufficient.  

Everyone here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, and our partners in Africa, thank you for your continued support of this important project.  If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org. 

The young lady on the left is named Niki and she is a student at Esigodini Agricultural College and because of AFCAs generosity, the folks at Providence Farm in Zimbabwe have been able to help her with the practical/business component of their diploma, as she did her project on seedling production.

Niki is the second youngest in a family of six children. Both her parents are unemployed (over 90% of Zimbabweans are unemployed) and live in a rural home in Figtree, which is about 30kg west of Bulawayo. She is the only one of her siblings to advance her education beyond high school and even this was done through the help of her sister, who helped pay for Niki’s school fees through high school.

Niki didn’t stop there, though! She has paid her own way through college and has excelled in her studies. She has a job at a local dairy farm and will start her own projects at her rural home while she is earning an income. Her goal is simple - get her family to the point where they are no longer in abject poverty and to become self-sufficient through her projects.

In a country with rampant food insecurity and sky rocketing unemployment, Niki has managed to do the seemingly impossible – she received an education, holds down a job and is learning how to feed herself and others. What a testament to hard work and dedication!

Everyone here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, and our partners in Africa, thank you for your continued support of this important project.  If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org.