Elison Chigumbura Family Support Fund

Hello,

We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Elison. Elison leaves behind a wife and three young children (a son age 12, a daughter age 8 and 3 month old baby girl) in Zimbabwe who he supported with funds and love.

Elison was born in Harare, Zimbabwe 36 years ago, the youngest of three children raised by loving parents. After graduating high school in Harare, he went on to play professional soccer there on a local exhibition team, while driving trucks for income to support his family in a country with an average annual inflation rate of 684%, a destitute economy and extremely few jobs.

In the past few years, Elison had been developing construction skills and learning building code requirements under the tutelage of a skilled mentor who had whole-heartedly embraced Elison and was preparing him to take over his business in the next few years. Given the scarcity of materials, tools, equipment, and building standards in Zimbabwe, Elison had to learn every element of the construction trade. It is a tribute to his intelligence, resilience and grit, and easy-going nature that he was able to learn quickly and perform well, earning the confidence of his employer and his loyal clients, with the prospect of having his own construction business in his future. Even after exhausting workdays, Elison delighted in the opportunity to play competitively with the men’s soccer league in Montclair. He would share news about his assists to a teammate’s goal with as much enthusiasm as scoring his own goals.

Since moving to the US, Elison supported his family, sending much of his income to them, with frequent WhatsApp phone and video calls to them and returning visits every year when he could. He had just begun steps to become a citizen so he could bring them to the United States so that his family could finally be together as he built his life here when tragedy struck.

It is a true gift to be able to support the growth of a young mind. Elison's family depended on his financial support from across the world to sustain them in the face of Zimbabwe's shortages and struggles. Zimbabwe is so impoverished that it fails to provide even rudimentary public education, so it falls on the family to find funds to pay tuition to educate the children. His family now faces an uncertain future due to his loss. Like Elison, his son Tafadzwa loves soccer and has a keen intellect that the family wants to nourish by financing his education, and that of his other children as they move into school levels that require private funding.

Thank you for reading and holding Elison and his family in your heart as we navigate this sudden and painful loss. We hope you will consider supporting his legacy by giving a financial gift to help his family realize the dream that has been taken from Elison.

We are so grateful for your support, kind words, prayers, and shares.

With many thanks,

Farai and Hobson Chigumbura (his parents) on behalf of all his family