Let’s send clothes & toys to Zambia

Dovely is organizing a collection based in New York to send to the children of Mapapa. Here's what you should know:

As a young adult, Dora Moono Nyambe visited the village of Mapapa in Zambia, South Africa, and noticed a need for development. Children were often without a consistent source of nutrition, faced with abuse, and forced into child marriages. With a vision for change and adopted children of her own, she made a commitment to move to the village & start a school that would offer lessons, food, safety, and security. She now fosters 150 children and has adopted 13. Over 500 children depend on the school she's started to eat each day, and to have a space that allows them to safely learn and play. Once just a mud hut, Dora's school has developed into multiple classrooms, a large dining hall, and dorms for children seeking refuge.

There are common misconceptions about what it takes to sustain an effort like Footprints of Hope that I learned by reading Under a Zambian Tree, a book written about Dora's life and efforts. Though they rely on donations through GoFundMe, Africa doesn't recognize this as a valid method of fund collection, meaning that a third party must run the page, exchange the currency, and then transfer it to Dora. Besides the process being tedious and time-consuming, it also comes with fees. This means that the amount Dora receives is much less than what is given. Because Zambian law can be restrictive, she avoids seeking funding or partnerships so that she can continue to run Footprints of Hope in her own way- in the way that has kept these children healthy and protected. This means hundreds of mouths to feed and no government funding.

Besides donating to the cause, I thought it may be nice to round up some clothing and toys in good condition and ship them to Mapapa. I've communicated with Dora via e-mail, and she explained to me that shipping may be costly (and to make sure the number wasn't unmanageable) but that they have limited access to materials and greatly appreciate anything we can send. I was interested before, but am set on it now. She also included that the kids' favorite is gummy bears/candy, which they can't get in Zambia. Excuse me while I figure out how to ship 10,000 gummy bears to South Africa.

I am hoping my community will come together and that we may reach beyond ourselves to give to those who need it. The money gathered at this GoFundMe will go towards covering the DHL shipping costs. If you have any clothing or toys in good condition that you'd like to contribute, please message me on Insatgram @dovelydoula to arrange pick-up or drop-off. I'm based in Long Island.

Thank you so much to anyone who supports the cause and helps me deliver this gift to Dora and the children. Let's be their village!