This wonderful and futuristic project is the 'brainchild' of my wife Brenda, me and Phithizela Ngcobo, a Zimbabwean national. A separate newsletter introducing us is available as a Portable Document File (PDF). It is aimed at educating others, those who need financial and moral support to be able to attain a decent education. One of the founders, Brenda is a retired teacher who has seen the impact that education has on children for better. This venture will mean she remains touching the lives of children, or “teaching from the other side of the classroom”. I sum up the whole project as a “God-given venture to do in our old age” and Phithi adds that it is, “our opportunity to reach others for a better future”. Although the founders are Christians, we do not use religious affiliation as a criterion to give help.
As with many voluntary groups our group came about by accident - I have for many years been corresponding over the internet with a young Zimbabwean scientist, Kudakwashe Lionel Kupara, who is now researching for his PhD in Texas, USA. We have invited Kuda twice to spend a holiday with us in the UK, but both times his Visa was refused. It was at this time that I saw Phithi commiserating with Kuda on a chat line. As Phithi was already in UK and studing for his Masters Degree, I contacted him and we invited him to come and stay for a few days (this was in May 2009) - since then he has been several times, and during his stay with us over Christmas 2009, we discussed and formed EDUCATING OTHERS.
We are however a small venture, and have decided to limit our support to just two projects in Africa. One is the Gua Africa Emma Academy in the Southern Sudan founded by Emmanuel Jal. This ambitious project is a school being set up for children scarred by years of warfare.
Our other beneficiary is the Rose of Sharon Welfare Organisation in Harare, Zimbabwe, founded by Mrs Fatima Maruta. This is a small educational organisation which cares for orphan children from birth to 18, many of whom are effected by HIV/AIDS.
100% of all monies collected is shared equally between our two beneficiaries and no administration costs or expenses will be deducted from collected funds and printing will be kept as minimal. Most communication will be done on email to minimise printing, and where there is a need to print, the trustees will bear the cost.
Who are we?
Phithizela Ngcobo
Phithizela Ngcobo is a Zimbabwean national and a young book publisher with a Master's Degree in Publishing. At the moment he is resident in Oxford. His main area of interest is in Children’s publishing, and his future dream is to start a publishing house that publishes books that focus on children and help them to become responsible adults who will mould our world for the better.
Brenda Yates
Brenda Yates comes from a teaching family and spent all her active teaching career in and around Burton on Trent. She, like her husband, has always been involved in music. She was a member of several church choirs, Burton Operatic Society and also Lichfield Cathedral Special Choir.
David Yates
David Yates spent his working life in Architecture. He has also been heavily involved with music, having been an Organist and Choirmaster for over 55 years. David has been the organist for the St. Wystan's Chapter of the Guild of the Servants of the Sanctuary for the last 20 years. He has composed music for the Church and also some secular pieces for his friend Chen Jie in China. He founded the Rolleston Music Circle and Choral Society. He was for many years a member of both the Lichfield Cathedral Chamber Choir and Special Choir. In 1966 he founded and was Director of the Rolleston Festivals of Music and the Arts, in which many international artists took part.
Kudakwashe Lionel Kupara
Kudakwashe Lionel Kupara is also a Zimbabwean national with Degrees in Biochemistry and is now researching for his PhD at A&M University in Texas. David has corresponded with Kuda for many years and through him met Phithi in 2009. Without David’s friendship with Kuda, Educating Others would never have come into being.
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