“I am here to tell you how people can change the world,” said Matshe, who is trying to create change through her book, Born on the Continent, and her Africa Alive Education Foundation. A native of Zimbabwe, Matshe is trying to raise funds to support 17 million children, an entire generation of AIDS orphaned children, born in Africa. “Poverty is a mindset. It becomes a way of thinking when you are stuck in it generation after generation. The cycle will not break until people learn what it means. Education unlocks minds—it is the only way,” she added. Matshe knows the value of education firsthand; her mother believed that a good education would help her children escape poverty. Matshe and her four siblings are all college graduates. Matshe and her colleagues are trying to break the cycle of poverty in Zimbabwe by teaching the natives how to help themselves. “When you teach people to help themselves, it gives them back their dignity,” she said. And according to Matshe, salvation isn’t impossible. “It’s not going to take much; just a few people to step up in each community.”
Getrude Matshe and Cambridge College Professor Barbara Reid show off
one of Matshe’s hand painted blankets.
1 comment:
Alex,
I am so proud of your own bold move to take this project on! This is a real testament to that fact that we can make a difference and do big things even when others think that it is not possible! We ALL possess greatness inside of us, we just need the insight and awareness and sometimes the environment to help to bring it forward!
This effort will make a real difference in the lives of so many children in Zimabawe, as well as making a difference with those you interact with. There is always a ripple effect to what we do, think and say. We can create a more inclusive and just environment, we just need to intentional in what we are doing and BELIEVE that we really can make a difference!
Barbara K. Reid, Director
Bachelor of Science in Human Services, Cambridge College
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