Vimba was set up in London by a group of Zimbabwean and South African friends in 2007. They wanted to make a difference to starving children in the struggling country.
The charity started out with supplying food and clothes to people in the most vulnerable areas of Zimbabwe. As the London arm of the charity raised more money, they were able to expand their operations, with members on the ground in Zimbabwe using the funds to start up three child feeding and education centres in remote areas.
Severely malnourished children living within a 15km radius of the centres can now access one free nutritional meal five days a week, informal education and regular medical checks by a nurse.
Vimba’s chair, Jenna Gibb, told The Zimbabwean they were proud to have recently opened a fourth feeding centre, helping 300 severely malnourished children.
“We are currently feeding a very remote and desperate school of 300 students one meal a day, and plan to assist them in obtaining clean water as well as fixing up their existing buildings, some of which do not have a roof or windows,” she said.
Since the feeding scheme has been rolled out, school attendance has increased dramatically. The team are also trialling a scholarship scheme to reward gifted students who have consistently shown potential in various academic achievements.
“We view ourselves as a charity that does not create a cycle of donor dependency, but rather one that empowers people, teaches life skills, and facilitates development within a community,” Gibb explained.
The charity plans to help communities become self-sustaining by getting mothers to sew school uniforms in one area, and help sink a borehole in the school of another area.
Vimba runs a number of fundraising events in London throughout the year to fund their charitable work. They also get donations from a number of large companies and are always on the look out for corporations who want to sponsor them.
“It is exciting how far Vimba has come in the last three years. It has been one whirlwind ride from starting out with a small fundraiser, to running three of our own feeding centres,” said Gibb. – The charity will be holding their annual black tie fundraiser on the 20 August, tickets are on sale now. For more information email info@vimba.co.uk or visit www.vimba.co.uk
Post published in: World News