Tiger's Dream
Donation protected
When Tiger Kushamba, Whitman '04, says he "lost everything," last year, it's true. After college, Tiger went back to Zimbabwe and started his own nonprofit, Education for All, focusing on rural education. Tiger lived in a rural community, providing basic education to children and families. He was successful. One of his students is now studying medicine in Russia. He did this for nine years, until the night government thugs came to the community and burned down his nonprofit.
Tiger had been warned by Mugabe's people that he needed to leave. They threatened him, saying he had been "brainwashed" to remove Mugabe, telling him that his nonprofit was just a cover up for his regime change agenda. Tiger has always been critical of Mugabe, questioning whether a regime run by a 90+ year old man really had the interests of the people at heart.
Tiger refused to move. The first time Mugabe's people came, he ran away and they did not burn the place. But Tiger refused to give in, committed to rural education and knowing the power that education has to change lives. The second time, they figured he needed to be taken care of for good, and they torched the place. Nine years of work. Nine years of educating rural children and families. All burned to ashes.
This GoFundMe is to raise money to help Tiger rebuild and make his education dream better than ever. Tiger wants to gain all the skills he needs to work in local government after Mugabe is gone. He wants to open a school for girls, to help reduce teenage pregnancy rates in Zimbabwe's communities. In order to do this, he needs our help.
This GoFundMe will first help Tiger get to the United States, where he can more easily research and contact graduate schools about their public administration programs. Because Tiger lost everything in the fire, his first need is money, which he will use for food, clothing, shelter, and also for visa applications and plane tickets. Once he gets here, he can stay with me (Anna Batie, Whitman '04) as long as he needs. He'll study for and take the GREs. He'll use the money for graduate school applications. Anything left will go towards rebuilding.
Tiger is a change agent. He can make a difference and change Zimbabwe for the better. Let's help him get started.
Tiger had been warned by Mugabe's people that he needed to leave. They threatened him, saying he had been "brainwashed" to remove Mugabe, telling him that his nonprofit was just a cover up for his regime change agenda. Tiger has always been critical of Mugabe, questioning whether a regime run by a 90+ year old man really had the interests of the people at heart.
Tiger refused to move. The first time Mugabe's people came, he ran away and they did not burn the place. But Tiger refused to give in, committed to rural education and knowing the power that education has to change lives. The second time, they figured he needed to be taken care of for good, and they torched the place. Nine years of work. Nine years of educating rural children and families. All burned to ashes.
This GoFundMe is to raise money to help Tiger rebuild and make his education dream better than ever. Tiger wants to gain all the skills he needs to work in local government after Mugabe is gone. He wants to open a school for girls, to help reduce teenage pregnancy rates in Zimbabwe's communities. In order to do this, he needs our help.
This GoFundMe will first help Tiger get to the United States, where he can more easily research and contact graduate schools about their public administration programs. Because Tiger lost everything in the fire, his first need is money, which he will use for food, clothing, shelter, and also for visa applications and plane tickets. Once he gets here, he can stay with me (Anna Batie, Whitman '04) as long as he needs. He'll study for and take the GREs. He'll use the money for graduate school applications. Anything left will go towards rebuilding.
Tiger is a change agent. He can make a difference and change Zimbabwe for the better. Let's help him get started.
Organizer
Anna Batie
Organizer
Olympia, WA