Global Youth Foundation Zimbabwe is a non-profit organization based in Zimbabwe. They are committed to youth advancement, developmental issues, and education by championing the cause of work done by Zimbabwean youth. They foster economic, social, educational and environmental day-glow in rural and urban community through collective responsibilities of organized intellectuals, youth and women.
Check out their website globalyouthzimbabwe.org and follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Contact them directly at info@globalyouthzimbabwe.org.
Our Q&A today is with Founder Stephen Vunganai.
Q: Why did you start Global Youth Foundation?
A: In Zimbabwe the last decade has been plagued with economic hardships and high unemployment. Precipitated by this background the youth have engaged in drug abuse, violence, crime, and promiscuity leading to prostitution and the accompanying risk of contracting HIV and other STDs. Our educational system has also deteriorated.
I began this organization to address the challenges that youth in rural and urban areas are facing. Unemployment being the major issue affecting the youth. When I completed I felt uncertain about whether to go to college or look for employment to save my mother from the burden of paying skyrocketing tertiary fees. That experience motivated me to create a platform to help youth with similar challenges.
It is from this background that the organization was born to address the challenges faced by the youth. We also work on women empowerment, access to opportunities in social, political, and economic spheres and the right to education for all children. These issues are a fabric to community development. I am determined to help nurture young men, women and children to be effective leaders, and promote a drive for empowerment that will enable them to play a vital role in community development.
Q: What kinds of projects have you worked on?
A: We have worked on projects in education, hygiene and support of the elderly. Our projects include:
- Financial support for children in schools such as Chulu Farm Primary School in East Harare and Rutenga Primary School
- A partnership with Girls R Us, a non-profit dealing with menstrual health and girl child empowerment, to provide sanitary pads in Chitota, Marondera
- Donations of basic consumption commodities and toiletries for the elderly at Bumhudzo Old People’s home
Q: How did you start Global Youth Foundation?
A: The organization began in 2013, with volunteers leading our first project to create a community dialogue and gather information on matters affecting the community through school visits. The community dialogue served to strengthen the relationship between the organization and the communities we intended to serve focusing on issues such as education, children’s rights, women empowerment, health, poverty, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, gender education, and discrimination. We strive towards social change that includes marginalized, vulnerable groups in our communities.
Q: What has been critical to you thriving as a changemaker?
A: I have cultivated a passion for championing the causes that I care about and making sure that our organization is effective and efficient, and achieves its goals. I have learned a lot through my team and a variety of outreach campaigns we have carried out. It’s always an inspiration to know that the school books, pens and satchels you donate to school kids made an impact in their lives and to see how appreciative elderly people are for grocery donations or help with chores. It is from these campaigns that I have realized how great an impact we are have on people’s lives. By gathering experience from past successes we have learned how to ensure the continuous improvement of our projects to increase the likelihood of success in future projects.
Q: What are your biggest challenges?
A: The main challenge that we face is financial resources for the smooth operation of the organization. Nonetheless, the team members do contribute to the organization so that it is able to carry out its mandate. Another challenge was professionalizing the human resources that we had, since we were a group of friends raw from college. There was a challenge in terms of carrying out the programs of the organization with skill and precision, but over the course of time and through the limited resources, the team members gained vast experience and professional ethics through the workshops and conferences we have attended.
Q: What advice would you give to a young Zimbabwean who is considering starting their own venture, or is in the early stages of their venture?
A: To those young ones who are still contemplating the launch of their ideas into action, we tell them that they should not hold back. The feeling that comes with changing communities and seeing their lives improve is priceless. It’s not going to be rosy but it will be worth it if they are willing see their ideas live. They must be willing to fail, draw lessons from their failure, and change their strategy and course of action accordingly.
For those who are in the early stages of their venture, they need to keep holding on and maintain discipline, it might not be paying off now but consistency and perseverance is key and they will need to constantly evaluate their achievements and the value that they are adding to the venture through the partnerships that they are making. All things are possible to those who believe.
My Appointment at the World Bank as the Chair of the Youth Africa Panel on Climate Change
This is the most proud moment of my career as a young leader. I have the opportunity of representing my country at the high level summit on Climate Change at the World Bank. My appointment came as a stepping stone in bridging the gap between Africa and the rest of the world in enhancing solutions to Climate Change. The Youth Africa Panel is a group of focused young Africans playing a role in the fight against climate change. The panel gathers exceptional future leaders to tell the story of climate change and inspire communities everywhere in Africa to take action. In Zimbabwe we have faced serious challenges with climate change, from excessive heat, unfavorable weather conditions, a change in weather patterns, among other challenges. In addition our country is facing challenges in water shortages, to the central role of water in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector; water availability also has direct social and economic implications for other sectors such as health and energy. I have advocated through the Youth Africa Panel and Global Youth Foundation Zimbabwe and other youths to engage on this dialogue and deliberate on issues of water shortage that had ripped the country’s sector.
