Liz Howes' Art Project at Leeukop Prison, Christmas Lunch and HIV/AIDS Education in Harare

Last Week

We had a much anticipated talk by Liz Howes on the art initiative she has started at Leeuwkop Prison.  She told us a lot about what the prisoners had done and how the initial group had grown as well as showing some of the art works produced. 
She also gave the impression that it wasn't a particularly easy environment in which to work but that success had really been, in a large part, by the encouragement of individual prisoners who had an interest in art.
I did wonder what the initial reason was to introduce art classes and where the motivation came from and also what the system was that you have to go through, not only to do something in prisons but also just how to get in the door.  Unfortunately, time was limited and we can only applaud Liz for what she is doing.
 Prity Narotam who is involved in educational projects in prisons also attended.

This Week
It's the Christmas Lunch at Parkview Golf Club....the bar is for your own account.  If you haven't booked yet then get hold of Les Short asap.

Women gain skills and self-worth

Stella Dongo; Rotary Club of Highlands, Zimbabwe

In a nation challenged by high unemployment and one of the largest populations living with HIV/AIDS in the world, Stella Dongo, along with Carolyn Schrader of the Rotary Club of Denver Mile High, Colorado, has led the way in providing training, education, and hope to women and youth in need. 

The two women’s Rotary clubs partnered in 2003 to start HIV/AIDS education programs in poor Harare communities, funded by Rotary Foundation grants. But when the Rotarians surveyed program participants, they found that an even more pressing need was job skills.

The two women’s Rotary clubs partnered in 2003 to start HIV/AIDS education programs in poor Harare communities, funded by Rotary Foundation grants. But when the Rotarians surveyed program participants, they found that an even more pressing need was job skills.

“The women we serve wanted to find ways to put food on the table and send their children to school,” says Dongo, a recently retired business executive and a 2015 Rotary Global Woman of Action.

In 2009, Community Empowerment in Zimbabwe was launched with a $330,000 Rotary 3-H grant to fund four years of job and business skills training for women and youth. In 2014 the clubs received a global grant to support advanced business and computer training for women, and another global grant in 2016 helped them expand their efforts in additional communities.

Today, the group is equipped to train about 500 women at a time. “When we started the program, these women were depressed and helpless,” Dongo says. “Now they have a sense of self-worth and pride. They see themselves as being able to stand on their own feet.”