Zimbabwe Orphanage & Education Fund

Update for 2024:

We last visited Zimbabwe to help with the orphans there 4 years ago. Just as Covid was making the news, we thought nothing of it, but for that reason, we were unable to return again for a few years. Then a new baby meant another couple of years where travel was difficult.

But now, Feb 8th 2024 we are travelling back to Zimbabwe and taking the children this time too!

This years plan is to install fresh well water at one of the orphanages. Cholera is a real problem with regular deaths in the area because of contaminated drinking water, and we'd like to stop that from happening and provide the orphans with clean drinking water. This will require divining for water, drilling, and then installations of pumps, pipes and taps. This all takes money, of course, so we are fund raising once again.

Me and Nicole (and the kids too) will be doing a sponsored walk on Feb 3rd & (hopefully) the 4th too. The more that is donated, the more we will walk. Last time around, this meant raising nearly €2500 and we walked solidly for 3 1/2 days!

If we could get that amount this time around, it will be fantastic, but any amount raised will be appreciated. Your donations will provide clean drinking water for children who have nothing else, so every € counts. €20 donation will get you 1km walked (€10 = 0,5km). We will be walking from Calo des Moro to Es Moli Sa Punta and back again. This route is exactly 5km each return trip and the first steps will take place at sunrise on the 3rd Feb, and we won't stop until either the sun goes down, or until the donations stop.

Please help and thank you so much!

Update: 2019 This "campaign description" has been an ever evolving thing, as we have been raising money, reflecting the different sponsored events we've been doing and also as we neared the date of arrival here.

Today is the first time I've updated it since being here and I've felt the need to alter almost everything that I think about this trip after today. We visited a heartbreaking orphanage that made us reassess who we are as much as what we can do to help on this trip. The initial trip was planned to help schools, and education and we've been and visited 3 such schools in need of our help these last few days. We will continue to support and help those schools with the money that you have already sent of course, but after today we realise that the main focus of our efforts should be the orphanage. We couldn't believe what we saw today and it brought us both to tears. For those that haven't already read and seen the pictures, please copy and paste the link below into a browser.

Thank you for reading, thank you for supporting and we'll be doing all we can to help.

https://ourmaninzimbabwe.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/day-6-heartbreaking/

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The below was written before we arrived:

https://www.gofundme.com/zimbabwe-school

Gofundme recently sent me an email asking to provide the following information for transparency purposes:

1. Who you are

We are Nathan Seal & my fiance Nicole Goodridge

2. Where you're from

We live in Ibiza, but are both British citizens, hailing from Lincolnshire and London.

3. Your relationship to the parties you're raising funds for

We are raising funds on behalf of a number of schools in the surrounding area of Bryden School in Chegutu, Zimbabwe. Our contact is Helen Laister who is a teacher there (http://www.brydenschool.com/our-teachers/) and is also my best friends aunt. We began talking about coming to do some volunteer work a number of years ago and this is the culmination of those talks.

4. How the funds will be spent (be specific as possible)

We plan to buy new school books, sports equipment, offer a select number of students most worst off their tuition fees, and general maintenence as we see its needed when there.

5. How you intend to get the funds to those in need

Nicole and I will be travelling to Zimbabwe to personally deliver funds and oversee their use during a 6 week visit starting in January 2017 and running until early March 2017

Can you help?

Me & my girlfriend Nicole are aiming to raise as much money as possible to take with us on a volunteer humanitarian trip to Zimbabwe at the end of 2016 to work in 2 schools for the underprivileged.

We aim to improve the education of every child via the purchase of new books, to improve the conditions in which they can study by renovating their school buildings and we aim to cloth their enthusiastic sports teams in new shirts and give them new equipment. We will also be paying tuition fees for those most in need and without the ability to afford it for themselves. $50 pays for a term at school. So thats around €40 or £30 approx. Any donation will go towards doing all of this and the more we take with us, the more good we can do.

Both schools are near Chegutu, not far from Harare, in the centre of Zimbabwe. Its one of the most corrupt countries in the world and is made famous by its tryanical dictator Robert Mugabe. This corruption extends to school boards and even local charities so we've been advised that first hand is the best way to make a positive change. This means personally handing over books and equipment whilst also personally purchasing building materials and furniture to install ourselves. This requires a fund and we need your help!

Any donation is welcome.

Also, if you or anyone you know has any contact for sports equipement and clothing for the school sports teams, please get in touch. Or indeed anyone that would like to sponsor team kits and have their brand adorn the school teams and all the photo ops that would provide as well, please get in touch.