Africa 500, please join the cause!!

My name is Alexandra and I have taken on the task of collecting 500 books, yes 500 books to send to a primary school in Zimbabwe.

You may be thinking, why Zimbabwe and why 500 books.

I had the pleasure of meeting a phenomenal woman, Getrude Matshe a few weeks ago at a lecture at my school, Cambridge College. Getrude's journey is remarkable and one of the many great things she has done is create Africa Alive Online: http://www.africaaliveonline.com/. Getrude is originally from Zimbabwe and in her and her husband's family there are over 100 HIV positive people. We have all heard how fast HIV/AIDS is spreading in Africa, but never had I heard a story first hand of the truly devastating effects it has. Getrude told us that the average life expectancy in Zimbabwe is a young 27. Can you believe that? 27! I could not, could not imagine only living until 27. And in Zimbabwe that is the reality.

If you were to visit Zimbabwe there would be children and grannies. People of middle age have died, leaving grandparents to parent young children. Getrude's mission is to help all orphaned HIV positive children in Africa. That's about 17 million children. 17 million children need our help.

She has begun by adopting a preschool in Zimbabwe called Mazivisa Primary School. Mazivisa has a total student population of 350 and 175 of those children are HIV positive.

During Getrude's lecture she shared with us a slide show of the current conditions at the school. The walls were torn, the books, well, many were from the 1950's. Not the type of atmosphere most of us have had our schooling in.

Africa 500 began with a single person and a single person's thought. I thought, wouldn't it be great to provide Mazivisa with a full library full of colorful nice looking books. So that is what I have decided to do. Collect 500 books to send over to Zimbabwe to the children. Because regardless of your race or economic status each child has potential. And it takes so little of yourself to make a huge impact in another child's life.

Please help me in my journey to raise 500 books!!



Thank YOU