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Orphans and African Tradition
Traditionally, orphans in Africa have been taken in by relatives or neighbors. This tradition broke down in Zimbabwe because of increasing poverty and the deaths of many caregivers due to HIV-AIDS. Zienzele Foundation was founded in 2000 in response to the growing crisis.
 Zienzele's Approach
Building on tradition, we help villages achieve self-reliance and care for orphans themselves. This involves
Despite daunting circumstances in Zimbabwe, Zienzele's approach is bringing hope to children and their caregivers in some of Zimbabwe's poorest rural villages. Please visit the rest of our website to learn more about our work and join in our efforts.
Zienzele Baskets —
A Beautiful Way to Help
Our beautiful baskets are hand made by caregivers in Zimbabwean villages. All profits pay school fees for orphans — education is their hope for the future. Every basket comes with a card explaining the meaning of this perfect gift.
Zienzele
Annual Banquet
On a soft Spring evening on the 26th of May, almost 80 guests attended the ninth Annual Zienzele Foundation Fund Raising Banquet at the Dartmouth Outing Club in Hanover, NH.
The program began with a performance by members of the cast of the Trumbull Hall Troupe, the talented student theater group who have raised more than $30,000 for Zienzele in the past five years. Author Jodi Picoult described next year's production, written by her and her son Jake Van Leer, and Jake sang a piece from the new show.
The evening’s program included the kickoff of our much-needed New Vehicle Fund Raiser (details on site). And Katy Clark moved us all with photos and a description of the drama-based workshops she gave in all of the villages we serve, giving children an opportunity to express their feeling about the AIDS epidemic in Zimbabwe.
We ended with an update by Prisca and Nancy of all the events of the April field trip. (This included Jim Clark’s coordination of sprucing up and painting thirteen first grade rooms!) Prisca and Nancy also gave a thumbnail sketch of current conditions in Zimbabwe.
Tim Fisher was our first-ever Master of Ceremonies, and he pulled the whole production together with professional aplomb. Our supporters – some back every year, some very welcome first-timers – continued their generous support of our work by purchasing new baskets made by the care givers and by making donations to the new vehicle fund as well. This year’s banquet proceeds of $5300 set a record for one of our favorite fund raising events.
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A Plan for a Van
 Orphans and caregivers in Zimbabwe need the help and support the Zienzele Foundation gives them, but they live in remote, rural villages, and we need safe, reliable transportation to reach them.
Driving conditions can be rough and our 13-year-old Toyota Hiace van has gracefully passed the point of safety and reliability. We hope it will be entering a well-deserved retirement this year. Towards that goal we have initiated an exciting raffle for folks who want to support the Foundation and at the same time take a chance on winning an original oil painting by Meg McLean, an artist and Zienzele board member, entitled “When Sheep Skinny Dip”.
Meg Mclean's painting, When Sheep Skinny Dip"
A giant image of a Toyota Hiace has been broken up into 800 puzzle pieces. Each time you purchase a $25 puzzle piece, a raffle ticket is completed with your name, address and telephone number. A new puzzle piece is then placed on our master puzzle to track our progress in reaching our goal.
(Click here to see our progress!)
All raffle tickets will be placed in a barrel from which the winning name will be drawn on December 15, 2010. The winner will receive Meg McLean's painting.
You can buy your ticket online with any major credit card; just click the link below.
Tickets are also available from all board members, at venues where Zienzele baskets are being sold, or by sending your name, address, and telephone number along with a check for $25 per ticket to The Zienzele Foundation, c/o Jim Clark, Treasurer, PO Box 41, West Topsham, VT 05086. |
In the Media
Good news from Zimbabwe? Well, sort of. Douglas Rogers, a New York Times columnist who grew up in Zimbabwe, recently wrote a surprising piece about race relations under Mugabe. Click here to read it.
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Kyoto Friends
Help with Van
Once again friends in Kyoto, Japan, have made a generous donation to the Zienzele Foundation. Proceeds from the 2010 Kamogawa Sponsored Walk are being shared equally between Zienzele and the Laliguras Children's Home in Kathmandu, Nepal. There were 44 walkers and of 539 sponsors this year, and they raised over 1,000,000 yen, almost $12,000. Zienzele's share will be $5,882.
When the walk's organizers In Kyoto learned about the urgency of our need for a new van, they suggested that their entire donation go to the campaign. That's a wonderful boost for our efforts! (Please see Plan for a Van, on the left.)
The following quotation is from a thank-you letter by Kevin Ramsden, an organizer of the event:
"Both Zimbabwe and Nepal have often been featured in the news for all the worst reasons, and while thousands of miles apart, they have shared the unenviable position of being politically unstable, with many of their people the victims of random violence and extreme poverty. I know you will join with me in wishing them the very best in their struggle for a better future, and I hope to be able to write this letter to you all again next year to thank you for your support for Kamogawa Sponsored Walk 2011."
Needless to say, we in the Zienzele Foundation also thank the walkers and sponsors for their efforts — we are deeply grateful.
Zienzele Wins
E-Chievement Award
The Zienzele Foundation and its president Nancy Clark were recently honored on etown, a radio show broadcast nationwide on NPR. To hear the presentation and the interview with Nancy, click here and scroll to May 5.
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