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Giving
children the gift of an education: Interview with Roseline Ndoro,
Ndoro Children's Charities
Upenyu
Makoni-Muchemwa, Kubatana.net
July 20, 2011
View audio file details
 Roseline
Ndoro is the founder of Ndoro Children's Charities. She was
born in Zimbabwe in September 1950. She has survived cancer and
is in the final year of getting her degree in charity management.
Ndoro Children's Charities was established after Roseline
witnessed the overwhelming suffering of orphaned children in her
community in Hwedza.
What
motivated you to establish Ndoro Children's Charities?
I've always had a passion to help people. When I was growing
up my father always used to talk about education. He used to say
that without education we are lost in this world, and education
would open doors for us. I was a good listener; I loved to hear
his voice. Whenever he gave us school fees he would tell us that
he couldn't leave us a big inheritance but the only thing
he could give us was a good education. Listening as a child I didn't
realise how big an impact those words would have on me. Having travelled
and now living overseas, whenever I visit Zimbabwe I don't
like to see people suffering. I am distressed when people tell me
that they cannot send their children to school because they are
unemployed. I've always tried to help where I can.
Listen
What
need did you see that you meet as a charity?
When I came in 2005, I hadn't been to Zimbabwe since my father
passed away in 1994. My brother had come to London the year before,
and he marvelled at the life we led there. In our discussions he
shared the suffering that was happening in Zimbabwe. When I came
in 2005 I was just crying. We went to Hwedza where we come from,
visiting relatives and communities. My brother showed me so many
graves of people I had known, many of whom had left behind children
who were now being looked after by elderly people. I met a family
that had lost three of their children and were looking after their
five grandchildren. That really affected me, and when I returned
to the UK I felt I needed to do something, to start my own charity.
People told me to give money to UNICEF or to Save the Children and
I said no, there have been so many charities in Africa, and the
problems of Africa are not going away. I really wanted to start
my own.
Listen
How
do you support orphans and vulnerable children?
Our plan is to sponsor children, and we have already been sponsoring
children. We have found though, that we are not moving forward in
Zimbabwe. We have some projects in Ghana, where we have volunteers
who got to work with our orphans and it's moving very well.
We also send volunteers to South Africa to work with the orphans
there. In Zimbabwe, I wanted to register as a local private voluntary
organisation, because I'm a local, and do the same thing,
sponsoring children to attend school and build a school. We have
been given land by Hwedza Rural District Council to build a school,
so most of our money is earmarked for that. We wanted to cater for
about 2000 children, starting with preschool all the way to secondary
school, and even offer vocational training and help those who want
to go on to university. We aren't touching our money because
we are waiting for our papers to go through. Right now we help here
and there by giving food, but it's not enough.
Listen
What
would you say are the challenges you face?
The challenges are not knowing who can help me. Not having anybody
who can say yes this is a good project, it needs to be speeded up.
I don't know where to go. I've been to different government
departments. I've been to the Ministry of Education, I've
been to the Ministry of Social Services, I've been to the
Ministry of Lands, but nothing is moving. Those are the challenges.
I've even gone to Hwedza Rural Council but no one takes responsibility.
I find that they don't understand time. Like those children
from 2005 some of them are now in their teens and I haven't
given them what I promised. My heart breaks. I've been paying
fees here and there, but I'm not really giving them a structure.
I thought that through the school I'd be able to do that.
Listen
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