I attended the October 2009 installment of Craigslist Bootcamp in New York City.  After the conference I planned to head home.  I had no intention of staying for the post-conference events, but a woman caught my eye.  She was walking towards me, beaming and grinning from ear to ear.  We ended up talking extensively about her organization, the Dangwa Initiative, which serves AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe, many of who are also rape victims. Her passionate and commitment is intoxicating.

Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s poorest countries, is in a precarious condition.  The government recently announced a cholera outbreak. South African President, Kgalema Motlanthe sent a team to Zimbabwe to asses the extent of the outbreak, but international health workers in the region indicate that it has already spread to neighboring Zambia and Botswana.

In light of this current situation, I encourage everyone to donate to Dangwa.  The organization received an grant enabling them to send a large container of relief supplies to Zimbabwe. Your donation will allow them to maximize the impact of this award. I have included an a letter from the Executive Director below.

To make an online donation, please CLICK!

Thank you!

It is with extreme excitement that I report to you that Dangwa Initiative has been awarded a grant to ship a 20ft container of goods to Zimbabwe. A 20ft container is large enough to take 36,000 lbs of goods.

So far most of you know that I have been collecting books, clothes, computers and other school supplies. 36K bs is a lot of stuff, my desire is to fill the container to the maximum so I am asking each and everyone of you to donate, in addition to above mentioned items, clothes, raincoats, shoes, socks and underwear for children of all ages; women and men. We are also in desperate need of pens, pencils, writing books and most importantly feminine products. Some of the girls in the rural areas miss on average one week of school every month as they cannot afford sanitary towels for their monthly cycle. Others have resorted to reusable rugs but without soap and clean water it becomes a health hazard.

As of last week the government of Zimbabwe declared a national emergency due to the outbreak of cholera. Cholera, waterborne disease, has killed close to 700 people and affected over 23K since August this year. These are official numbers, you and I both know that reality in ground zero is worse. In an effort to assist with this emergency, we are asking for donations to purchase water purification tablets to send with the container. For $5 we can buy 50 tablets. Each tablet purifies 1 liter, an average family of four needs about 10 liters a day therefore 50 tablets will provide clean water for 5 days/family of four. This is a temporary measure, therefore we welcome any suggestions and or resources for more permanent measures. We will also welcome donations of first aid kits including aspirin; Pepto Bismol; gloves; band-aids; alcohol; vitamins; first aid antibiotic ointments, wipes; gels; sprays; etc. Vaseline, lotions and other toiletries are also welcome.

I would like to send the container out before Christmas so they can arrive in time for the beginning of the new school year (January ’09) in Zimbabwe.

Last but not least, I will need assistance with sorting and packing all the donated materials starting Thursday this week (5PM-9PM week days) and Saturday (9AM-9PM); Sunday (2PM-9PM). Please call and let me know your preferred shift and how many people you will bring.

Thank you for your support, encouragement and love.