A picture is worth a thousand words
Elders and Mini-elders
Our Council of Elders, teens 14-18 years old, and Mini-Elders 11 – 13 are being taught to think and anticipate, to plan and run programs and watch out for the needs of younger children.
Dolls & Wire Toys
In Pumula North, where money is too tight for families to buy toys for their children, the kids create their own dolls and wire toys. At Zimkids, they make extras as thank-you gifts to our donors, developing their creativity and a clear sense of being part of the Center’s survival. Each doll or wire toy is accompanied by a photo of the child who made it and a brief biography.
Vocational Training
Every Zimkid learns the basics of working on computers, of carpentry, welding and human biology. And when the young people finish school, we send many of them to external training programs – to become electricians, skilled construction workers, welders, auto mechanics, animators, pharmacists and veterinarians.
Tutoring
In Zimbabwe, classrooms overflow with 60 or more students and books are scarce. So using our library, our older children tutor the younger to keep them on track academically.
Greenhouse
A grant from the U.S. Embassy allowed us to purchase a state-of-the-art greenhouse with drip irrigation, where we grow tomatoes, onions, carrots and greens.
Meal Time, Our Elders Preparing Lunch
Chicken Project
We raise broilers and layers both to feed the children and to produce income to help cover expenses.
Fun Times
Soccer and tug of war, dancing, netball, racing, chess, team-building games…There’s plenty of time for fun!
Birthday Celebrations
There’s no word in Ndebele, the local language, for birthday, so parties with cakes are a fantasy children learned about on TV. We’ve changed that for our Zimkids!
Mentors & Their Mentees
Each alumnus mentors a different member of the Council of Elders.
Alumni
Just a few of the thousands who have been part of our family – and who we are always happy to see when they stop by for visits.
Animation Studio
A Zimbabwean now living in the United Kingdom sponsored this amazing studio so our Elders could learn to produce more sophisticated work on computers by creating materials to teach Zimbabwean children in the UK to speak Ndebele.
Our Founder, Dennis
A native of Massachusetts and U.S. citizen, Dennis has been working with orphans in Bulawayo since 2005. He was also the architect of another orphan project in Nketa. A sculptor, he holds a undergraduate degree in special education and an MBA.
