When we met Frank and Procedure Chikosi, a husband and wife team based in Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls, on one of our regular "fam" trips (it's short for familiarisation and what we do to make sure we send our guests to fabulous places that we've test driven first), we knew we'd found two amazing people we wanted to help.
They are the founders of the Zion City Foundation, an NGO working with young people in and around Vic Falls and the general Matabeleland North region of Zimbabwe, focussing on empowerment, education and training and building sustainable communities. A special emphasis is placed on girls, investing in their future to create confident, skilled and independent young women. The foundation also supports less privileged children in rural areas, assisting with school fees, school uniform, stationery and amenities for their schools. Their motto is "Building Societies, Raising Nations" which we think is a pretty good ethos.
The Zion City Foundation believes that Zimbabwe's youth have the potential to rebuild their country from a grass roots level upwards, creating sustainable micro economies that benefit everyone in the process. They are also invested in building future leaders and trailblazers, which we absolutely support.
Top of their current projects are:
School Clubs: This project currently operates the Girls' Time Club, which identifies girls in schools and engages them in different activities that build their self-confidence and provide a safe space for them to talk about their issues. Through skills development, vocational training and leadership seminars the girls are encouraged to realise their potential, achieve academic excellence and identify career goals.
Back to School Programme: This school fees programme identifies less privileged children in the rural and peri-urban areas around Victoria Falls and Hwange and provides them with school tuition, stationery, uniforms, and amenities for school.
Menstrual Hygiene Programme: The foundation provides sanitary wear for girls and conducts workshops in schools to talk to girls about menstrual hygiene, helping them understand their bodies and what happens to them during menstruation.
Chat to us to find out more about the Zion City Foundation and to get involved.
