I have the pleasure of working with Makomborero’s Treasurer, Nathan Whitaker in the UK. He told me about the great work the charity is doing in my country of birth, Zimbabwe. Whilst I was planning a family visit to Zimbabwe, I also got in contact with Laura to arrange a visit to the Resource Centre and the office.
Day 1
My family and I met Laura at the Boarding House, she was very welcoming and happy to share the Makomborero story. I was amazed by the number of young people’s lives they have touched and the hope and opportunities they give to some young, under privileged students in Zimbabwe. I was left with a feeling that Makomborero was a very passionate charity which aimed to create a level playing field for every child and had a mission to open doors for the children of Zimbabwe who feel like they are at the bottom of the barrel and have no hope for the future because of economic poverty.
Laura then showed us around the warm, beautiful boarding house (too bad I came during the wrong season to jump in the pool!). After that my family left and Laura took me to the office in Mount Pleasant. There I met Rumbi and Joan who also gave me a warm welcome and also told me about their specific roles and responsibilities within the organisation.
I was keen to get stuck in and help out so Laura told me about a fantastic opportunity at a vacation workshop which Rufaro Nyoni (a Makomborero student) was coordinating at Seke 1 High that week. They told me that on the following day they were discussing Career Guidance with O’Level and A’Level students which sounded like a great opportunity for me to support, given my work experiences. So I was given a laptop at the office and got into work mode as I prepared a short presentation for the following day. When I returned to the boarding house, I had the pleasure of meeting some current scholars, Ryan, Gwinyai and Taku who gave me an insight into Makomborero from a scholar’s perspective which was really nice.
Day 2
I got to Seke 1 High where I met Rufaro and Roy who were running the workshop throughout the week. It was very humbling to see such young people who have benefited from Makomborero and are so eager to sow a new seed and inspire others! I introduced myself to the rest of the class who were very pleased to have me for the day. It was then my chance to do my presentation where I discussed Career Guidance -‘what to consider when making career choices’ and the importance of networking with people in the industry you would like to work in. The students came up with some very interesting questions which I was happy to answer from my experiences. Words alone can’t describe the feeling I got from inspiring our young people. I will be forever grateful to Makomborero for the opportunity to give back and give hope to the young people in Zimbabwe who are faced daily with unimaginable hardship.
A special thanks to Laura Albertyn, Rufaro, Roy, Joan, Rumbi, Clarity for making my visit to Makomborero a success and an unforgettable one. Until next time!
Clybert