Stories

"I often feel that the non-profit industry does not manage its money well. Sometimes only a few cents of every dollar actually leads to measurable impact. But for me, Bopoma Villages is a grand exception."

Tara* smiles as she proudly shows us the bundle of kale she grew in her keyhole garden. “We used to have trouble finding vegetables to eat. I have 4 orphans under my care and as long as we keep working in this small garden, it will provide the nutrition we need. I have no stress, […]

Elizabeth* is the sole parent of 3 young children. As a subsistence farmer, she works long hours in her garden every day to grow food for her family and some to sell at the side of the road to earn a small income. She is proud to tell us that all of her children are […]

Rather than face the embarrassment of showing up for school without proper clothing or a notebook in which to write, for months, Mercy* pretended to go to school, but instead spent her day hiding in the mountains. Mercy’s grandmother was doing her best to care for Mercy, but lacked the resources to provide for even […]

It is the hope of every orphaned child we meet to be part of a family and a community and to attend school just like the other children in their village. However, in rural Zimbabwe, orphaned children face overwhelming barriers that often keep them from realizing these hopes. After the tragic loss of both of […]

“Our lives will never be the same again,” says Tonderai. “Because we did not know the causes of the health problems we were having, we were always repeating the same behaviour that was making us sick. All along we did not wash our hands but now we know what we have to do.” Tonderai is […]

“Thank you for rescuing my family” says Mrs. Mafobo, a widowed mother of eight children and grandmother of fifteen. “My life and my whole family were in a dangerous situation but now we are safe. Instead of paying for medicine and doctors we can use our small income to buy the things we need.” With […]

We recently heard from a woman in Zaka named Dorcus Zinyongo, who developed an innovative way to use drip irrigation in her keyhole garden.  Here is an abridged version of her story: “I live in Chimedza Village with my mother and I have two children: a boy and a girl. My eldest daughter is doing […]

Educating girls is vital to raising families (and countries) out of poverty. However, girls face many barriers to attending and completing school such as societal traditions of educating only boys, no money for school fees or uniforms, and illness and inadequate nutrition causing prolonged absences. Here’s how Bopoma Villages is helping overcome some of these […]

This summer, we celebrated the completion of five new boreholes in Zaka. At the same time, we’re aware that a high percentage of boreholes break down because they are not properly maintained. Our solution: Table Banking

Bopoma Villages’ team helps villagers develop small income-generating projects to keep their children in school. Many children are not in school because they lack a birth certificate which is required for registration. Others are chased away by administrators when their families fall behind with fees. Mr. Mudira started making and selling mats from locally available […]

Salome Chakomoka smiles as she prepares dinner for her family. A mother of three young children, Salome has a lot to smile about as she proudly prepares a meal on her new outdoor rocket stove. Cooking in Africa is usually done over open fires in small huts. The resulting smoke is one of the leading […]