Dear friends,

I’m delighted to share with you some inspiring stories and highlights from my recent three-week visit to Zimbabwe, where I was re-energised after visiting the projects Tariro is supporting, and catching up with a handful of our members – who I’m delighted to report are growing into impressive young adults.

In this newsletter, we celebrate the achievements of these talented Tariro members, some of who are now thriving in university. Their determination and success are a testament to the power of support, encouragement and community. Visiting the projects and its members, past and present, was also a reminder of the positive impact of our small charity, which continues to grow slowly but steadily around Zimbabwe, thanks to the support of our donors.

On this note, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of our supporters, whose generosity has been instrumental in shaping the lives of these young Zimbabweans. Your contributions, no matter the size, have helped bring hope and opportunity to those who needed it most.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for believing in the potential of these incredible individuals.

YOUTH WHO ARE FLOURISHING 

Ebenezer is a delightful young man who has been part of the Tariro family for four years, based in Gweru. We are proud to report that Eben attained three B’s upon completing his A’ Levels last year. However, despite his hard work, these marks were sadly not sufficient to be accepted to study a law degree at the University of Zimbabwe, which is his ambition. Nonetheless, this positive young man remains determined, and is currently exploring a career in media and communications, which Tariro hopes to assist with.

Takudzwa achieves a degree in Engineering

We are delighted to celebrate the outstanding achievement of Takudzwa, one of our ‘elder brothers’ from the St Francis Nhema community, who has achieved an Upper Second Class pass in Civil and Water Engineering and can now add Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) to his name.

Read about Takudwa’s journey

Catching up with Rejoice, Memory and Nyasha

We had the pleasure of meeting up with three of our students who have all come from poor homes, but are now thriving in university – Rejoice, who is studying business, Memory who is studying industrial chemistry and Nyasha, who is an engineering student.

We invited the students for lunch in Harare which they loved – a braai with lots of nyama (meat) on the fire, and tennis, which was a fun way to catch up and hear about university life. We were delighted to learn that they are all growing confident in their subjects and enjoying their studies.

Meet Munyaradzi Mlambo 

Twelve years ago, I met Munyaradzi as a determined 10-year-old who took himself to school despite having no fees and often no food. Today, he’s a third-year Social Studies student making a difference in his community!

This is what Munya had to say:

“As part of my university degree, I’m doing a practical placement at a rehabilitation centre for drug users. At first, I was nervous, but I quickly connected with the patients and began to enjoy the work. I’ve learned that drug and substance abuse affects us all, either directly or indirectly. Factors like depression, stress, trauma, and anxiety are various triggers that contribute to this problem, which is exacerbated by Zimbabwe’s high unemployment rate. Despite these challenges, there is hope. I have found that with appropriate treatment, individuals can recover and go on to lead fulfilling lives.”

Munyaradzi’s passion for addressing drug and substance abuse is inspiring. He’s committed to making a difference and breaking the cycle of addiction. We’re proud to support him on his journey.

LOOKING FORWARD

Current financial challenges have made it difficult to plan for the future. However, following some productive strategic discussions with our trustees in Zimbabwe, we’ve decided to move forward in faith. Here’s an update on some of our new developments:

• We’re welcoming three new young people to the TYP house in Harare!
• Seven more young children are joining our groups in Shurugwi, Rusape, and St Augustine’s.
• We are helping the pig project at Tsvingwe High School to develop so that it will become self-supporting, and support some children.
• We are expanding our agricultural project at St Francis, Shurugwi to contribute to our children’s costs there.

GOD’S PROVISION

We’ve experienced God’s faithfulness in the past, and we trust that He will continue to honour our work and provide for our needs. Our flourishing pig project is a testament to this!

Once again, thank you, all of you for your support. I love this work in Zimbabwe and I am so grateful to you all for helping us to continue it. The fruits are the fulfilled young people we meet in Zimbabwe.

With gratitude,

Nicolas Stebbing CR