Tariro House of Hope Trust:
Youth Against Poverty Benefit Concert 13 December 2014
Tariro House of Hope (THH) Youth Ambassador, Miss Tatenda K. Zvobgo hosted on behalf of THH a Youth Against Poverty Concert at the Gallery Delta in Harare. Talented local musicians, themselves youths, performed. The aim of the concert which targeted youth as its audience was, among other things, to sensitize the youth on the plight of the less privileged children so as to give the youth a chance to engage with THH work. Tatenda K Zvobgo chose the theme Youth Against Poverty because she feels the youth are the future of Zimbabwe and so the youth must create bonds and networks with one another regardless of what type of home they come from, because together they can do great things. Tatenda also wanted to give her peers a chance to showcase their talent because there aren’t a lot of opportunities for young performers. An added bonus was that the THH children got to attend and also to see the art on display at Gallery Delta, thus opening their minds to art and culture, while the youths who attended the concert got to meet the children and interact with them.
The proceeds from the concert went towards school fees for THH children for 2015 and towards THH Free to Reign Project, which provides sanitary pads to THH girls. “Handling periods (or “menstrual hygiene management” as experts call it) isn’t the first thing one might associate with human rights. Yet the link between realization of rights of women and girls and menstrual hygiene could not be clearer”- WeNews commentator 28 May 2014. Most of our girls cannot afford pads and as a result they end up spoiling their clothes and missing school during that time of the month. Even if girls do go to school during their periods, they may feel less empowered to participate if they lack sanitary supplies. This is why THH launched Free to Reign, a brainchild of the Director of Communications & Development Miss. Julia C Zvobgo, because we want our girls to be free to reign in all areas of their lives and not be held back.
From the onset in 2002, the founder and benefactor of THH, Regina Dururu-Okorafo’s desire was to assist orphans and vulnerable children even if it was “One at a time”, by sending them to school, feeding them, clothing them and providing emotional support in order to keep children away from the streets. The founder bought a house, which has since been used as an Activity Center where the children meet, while they live in the community with their guardians.
Out of the 54 children on the program, THH supports 40 children with school fees, five of them will be starting form 1 in January 2015. Two other children not on the school fees program will also be going to Form 1 in January 2015. We will also be sending 3 children, new on THH program, back to school. They had stopped going for at least 1 year because their guardians were not able to pay the school fees.
We want all our children to not only graduate from High School but to also go on to Vocational Training and University. Over the years THH children have graduated in different disciplines and work as Accounts Clerks in banks, Carpenters, Construction Workers, Hair Dressers, Information Management Systems personnel, Marketing and Sales Reps, Police Officers, Real Estate Workers, Teachers, and many have gone on to become parents able to support themselves. Recently as in 2013, a young man sponsored by THH through University, graduated with a Bachelors of Pharmacy Honors degree from the University of Zimbabwe. He went on to electrify his parents’ home in Epworth. His brother who was supported through high school graduated this year with an Accounts degree from a South African University. This year too, two of THH children that were supported since 2005 on the feeding program and school fees project, graduated one from the University of Zimbabwe with a degree in Sociology and the second, a disabled young man graduated from Danhiko Vocational Training.
This month, THH’s biggest accomplishment was to send two of our girls Mellisa Mutetwa-Makarati and her cousin Gamuchirai Gohodza who were victims of arson in 2013, to South Africa for corrective surgery. The two girls are double orphans. Mellisa did not have a birth certificate which was a challenge as this is needed to process a passport but we managed to get it done. THH partnered with Children of Fire who is taking care of the girls now; the procedures could take up to two year. THH still needs to raise funds to support the children for ongoing surgery.
THH thanks all the youths who attended the benefit concert and the musicians; Vera, H3NRY/Hilzy, Luinsky, Cephas Tom, Authentic Voice, Danai and Shumi, Dakid Verse, Alison, Bry360, Tafadzwa Kadzere and the Prince of Comedy Louis, who made it a night to remember.
form more information please contact https://www.tarirohouseofhope.com/
