Brighter Futures

By Wendell Blue

Having an education is not a guarantee of success, especially in a country with an unemployment rate of around 90%. Not having an education, on the other hand, is almost a guarantee of a bleak future in such a country. This is an introduction to some very special AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe and the people who are helping them turn their lives around.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wendell Blue
• Release date: Nov 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310646690

Wendell Blue

Wendell Blue is a retired teacher of English as a Second Language. He taught for over 35 years at various schools and universities in the United States, Latin America, The Middle East and Asia. While serving in the Peace Corps as a young man, he realized that he enjoyed living abroad. As a result, he has lived nearly his entire adult life abroad, teaching English wherever people were willing to hire him.

Book preview

Brighter Futures

By

Wendell Allen

Copyright 2015 by Wendell Allen

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Children

Chapter 2: The Volunteers

Chapter 3: The Setting

Chapter 4: The Founders and How It All Began

Chapter 5: Final Thoughts

Introduction

There is an African proverb which states, If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.

Anybody observing the developments that have taken place in the Zimbabwean township of Dzivaresekwa over the past twenty-five years can attest to the truth implied in this proverb. Seemingly out of nothing, an organization has materialized which has altered the social, economic and educational situation of thousands of residents in this impoverished township.

In the spring of 2015, I volunteered for one month with Dzikwa Trust in Zimbabwe and was astounded to see what an incredible impact the efforts of two elderly Finns have had on thousands of impoverished AIDS orphans and their families during the past twenty-five years.

The main goal of the Trust is to empower children through "the provision of a scholarship for basic education". Since 1992 thousands of students have benefitted, gaining an education which, without the assistance of the Trust, would almost certainly have remained an unattainable dream.

What follows is an attempt to provide a glimpse into the lives of some children who have gone through the program as sponsored students. There is also a brief look at the experiences of volunteers and a short history of the organization. It is not intended to be a thorough history of the program, nor does it begin to list all the services provided by this organization.

Hopefully, this short narrative will serve to illustrate the positive impact that two people have had on so many others.

Chapter 1: The Children

Nadine

In May of 2015 an old van pulled up in front of an unpainted cinderblock house in a derelict neighborhood. Two elderly white men emerged from