Lucy’s Zimbabwe Story

One of the most enjoyable parts of going on global expeditions with Operation Orphan is spending time with the people involved.

From those you already know, to those you only meet for a very short amount of time. During this trip I once again had the pleasure of sharing my experience with an amazing team of individuals who had all given up their valuable time to make a difference to others.

Of particular note is a lady called Nev Borradaile. During the trip I had a few opportunities to get to know Nev a little better and I was humbled by her dedication to make life better in some way for the children in Sakubva. Nev has devoted years of her life to ensuring that orphans in the area are properly cared for and have access to a quality education with the opportunity to succeed, despite all the obstacles that stand in their way. Alongside others Nev set up Amatelaz.

Amatelaz is one of the projects supported by Operation Orphan which we visited during our trip. A homework centre which supports the schooling of orphans from the township of Sakubva. I had the privilege of teaching a few maths lessons to the students studying for O-levels during the trip. Despite studying in a language which is not their mother tongue and in many cases only receiving a few hours teaching each day, many of these children succeed because of the extra support provided at Amatelaz.

When I spoke to Nev about the centre and students you could sense the immense amount of pride she had for current and former students and the love and compassion that drives her to identify the students each year who will receive support. Nev has countless success stories from Amatelaz none of which she attributes to herself but to the team of people who help out at the centre.

Nev was only one of the brilliant people I met during the week who are changing the lives of orphans. Luckily for me I can now call many of these people my friends. And I only hope that I can have a fraction of the impact they have on the lives of others.

Lucy Smith

If you would like to contribute to the education of the children and projects you have been reading about, please click here.