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About
For over 30 years, the Nel family alongside New Life Community Services (NGO) has served the greater area of Gwayi River (Zimbabwe) and have come to call the local community their friends and family. Our involvement and commitment to the Gwayi River community is motivated by a LONG-TERM VISION and built on RELATIONSHIPS with local leaders. Even as we look back over the last 30 years of Zimbabwe’s economic and political challenges, we are proud to say that we have stood with the community of Gwayi River through it all.
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Since the establishment of the Zimbabwe Outreach Program in 2000, we have overseen the participation of over 50 volunteer teams (national and international) who have helped enrich and foster genuine relationships within the Gwayi River community.
The Zimbabwe Outreach Program is an initiative that aims to build up the greater area of Gwayi River by uplifting and serving the local community and neighboring schools. During the holidays, students and adults volunteer to assist in the building of school desks & benches, revamping of classrooms, providing clothing donations to children, facilitating sports clinics as well as being involved in the distribution of food (maize) to local schools in the Gwayi River area.
Why do we do all this? Simply put, we believe that it is greater to give than it is to receive.
What We Do
Our aim is two-fold:
To serve and impact the people of Gwayi River while at the same time impacting the lives of those volunteering in our teams.
378+
375+
50+
1250+
400+
Tons Of Maize Delivered
Desks & Benches Made
Classrooms Painted
Children Fed Anually
Volunteers Recruited
Feeding Program
Todd Martin and other sponsors help raise funds for our maize feeding program. These funds enable us to support the local farmers by buying their hand grown maize, which in turn stimulates the economy. We then distribute that maize to several underprivileged schools in the area, providing a meal for each child per day. Our feeding program directly supports childhood education while stimulating the economy. We have been providing daily meals to hundreds of kids in 8 local schools for over 10 years.
Building Benches and Desks
New Life Community Services and other sponsors donate chipboard, screws, equipment, and other supplies to help our volunteer teams build desks & benches for local schools.
Clothing Donations
Many schools in Cape Town donate used school uniforms and clothing which is sorted and donated to the Gwayi River community and local schools.
Painting Classrooms
Many South African businesses donate various paint products and materials to assist us in revamping local school classrooms.
Sports Clinic
Our volunteers facilitate a sports clinics at various schools in the area, teaching the school children basic sports skills and the value of teamwork.
Leadership Training & Mentoring
Leaders in the community are lead through our leadership sessions and mentoring program. Many of these leaders also form part of an assistantship in our Zimbabwe Outreach Program.
Special Projects
In addition to the above, we are also involved in special projects to serve the community and empower our team in serving. These projects include raising funds for the digging of wells (the only safe water-source for many communities), launching a sewing & woodwork school, community building projects as well as the construction and maintenance of our volunteer camp (a critical base for our volunteer teams).
Our Team
HENRY NEL
CO-FOUNDER
NATALIA NEL
CO-FOUNDER
TODD MARTIN
HEAD OF SCHOOL FEEDING
CALEB NEL
DIRECTOR
MICHAEL BOST
DIRECTOR
JOEL HORNE
DIRECTOR
KATHLEEN NEL
TEAM LEADER & ADMINISTRATION
GEORGIA BOST
TEAM LEADER & HEAD OF DIGITAL & DESIGN
CAMILLA VEITCH
TEAM LEADER &
ADMINISTRATION
All team members are volunteers and generously give of their time and energy to this cause.