'A Life Worth Living'

From "A life Worth Living"

Vhushilo Mountain School community mourns it's loss and young activist Vhuhwavho remembers her friend...







Hello everyone this is a little something that I wrote before Ronewa's funeral and I do regret the fact that I did not read it!!!

One holy day I tried
I tried and I will not lie
To keep myself together
from pain that would linger around forever
A skinny girl she was, as skinny as can be
And for only 30 minutes or so this was all my eyes could see
That sunny day a discussion short and fair
A sad situation I could not bare
She looked at me with shattered eyes
And later on that day I had to say my goodbyes
This was how I met her
Just like a new grown baby herb
The sign of a new life
Ronewa Mudzanani arrived
Entering the Vhutshilo Mountain Schools family
Someone who came inside our world so randomly
We are so grateful we were given this beautiful piece of treasure
That stayed strong enough to keep us all together
The strongest help of them all, and this we'll never forget
Was the strongest woman Eunice whom with much care, the treasure, could protect
And from that time on the treasure was brighter than ever
And this happened almost forever
The last piece of our puzzle
That fit in without any struggle
She went around the villages and spoke
And filled the miserable kids with hope
A kind and massive heart that had endless love
And has now joined her dearest mother above
Ronewa Mudzanani, what a mysteriously lovely girl
Who sadly did not spend much time on this planet earth
So close to turning 20
But sadly will never see 30
I am Vhuhwavho Nevhungoni
The writer of this poem
I am one of them that lost a special token
My best friend
For now I feel I have spoken
Thank you for being a soul known by us
Much love your friend

Children Need Your Help

Although our immediate goals include building a school addition for VMS, our most pressing need right now is finding sponsors for 17 impoverished preschoolers who otherwise would go without daily nourishment, clean clothing and schooling. Privacy issues prevent us from posting their individual ages, health status and family circumstances, but suffice it to say that many of the children have lost one or more parents to HIV and are themselves in need of ARV medication. Their ages range from barely 1 year old to 4 years.

Sponsorship provides a child with educational costs, school supplies, 2 nutritious meals per day, transport to and from school, clothing and medical support.

Sponsors will receive a picture and history of their sponsored child as well as an annual progress report and photographs and samples of their child's work.

Monthly cost to provide one child with an education, meals, and medical help is $50.00 per month. Please consider either sponsoring a child yourself or combining with friends, family members, co-workers, classmates, or service groups to share a sponsorship.

We promise that your personal rewards will make your sacrifice worthwhile! Thank you for this consideration.

Vhutshilo Mountain School Children

For full story with pictures visit the HFL blog at http://hopeforlimpopo.blogspot.com/. 

Like HFL on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HopeforLimpopo.

Visit the HFL website at www.hopeforlimpopo.org.

Contact HFL at info@hopeforlimpopo.org.

A Sad 'Good-Bye'

We are sad to report that last Saturday night, March 14^th, our young friend Ronewa gave up her valiant fight and succumbed to the ravages of complications from the AIDS virus. In 2011 Ronewa was welcomed into the home of Taki, the VMS Outreach Assistant. At that time, Ronewa was in a very bad state both medically and psychologically. Her VMS friends and care-givers helped her to regain her strength and confidence teaching her how to adhere to the ARV drug regime. Ronewa grew from a sick, shy little girl to a valuable member of the ARV outreach program. She stood “tall and strong” at events when asked to give talks about her status and to offer words of encouragement and advice to her peers.

Her last few years were difficult ones for this young independent teenager. She struggled with the reality of her illness and often denied its existence by going off her ARV regimen. Ronewa died from kidney complications associated with her disease. She had just turned 18 in February.

Hope for Limpopo Receives a "Gift of Talent"

LinkedIn.com is the world's largest online professional network where 300 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the globe are able to connect. It is also very generous to non-profit organizations, and as a result of its 2014 Gift of Talent program, Hope for Limpopo, Inc. (HFL) is now one of those organizations!

During the holiday season, LinkedIn encourages its employees to award to a non-profit of their choice the opportunity to advertise their need for volunteers and interns free of charge. HFL was honored when our friend and member of the LinkedIn staff decided to award his Gift of Talent to the HFL cause.

HFL’s call for help reached far and wide, as responses came from Spain, India, and many places in between! We have sorted through the overwhelming amount of qualified applicants and are meeting with two candidates within these next few weeks. We will be announcing our new team members soon, so keep an eye out for their introductions!

Are you interested in volunteering your talents to a deserving cause? Join Hope for Limpopo, Inc.’s passionate group of volunteers by contacting us at info@hopeforlimpopo.org.

Visit our website at www.hopeforlimpopo.org.

Read more HFL blogs at

http://hopeforlimpopo.blogspot.com/.

Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HopeforLimpopo.

Visit HFL's company page on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hope-for-limpopo-inc-?trk=top_nav_home.

Westfield State University Student Joins the HFL Team

“Hello! My name is Deryn Copeland and I can’t wait to spend my semester working with the awesome people here at Hope for Limpopo, Inc. I was provided a list of possible organizations and offices to work with, but Hope for Limpopo was the one to catch my eye. I am and have been involved with non-profits for a while; however, small grassroots organizations with meaningful personal connections, like the ones Hope for Limpopo was built upon, hold a special place in my heart. When I discovered the story behind the creation of Hope for Limpopo I knew I would be working with a dedicated, caring, and passionate group of people! I will work hard to bring that same passion into the projects I will do for Hope for Limpopo this semester, as it is such a pure-hearted and worthy cause.”

When it comes to achieving our goals, we at Hope for Limpopo, Inc. know that anyone interested in our cause has something valuable to bring to the table. We are always looking for new avenues supporting the HFL cause. That is why when Professor Leah Nielsen of Westfield State University approached HFL with an opportunity to obtain the services of a student volunteer and a fresh perspective to its cause, everyone at HFL was very excited.

Professor Nielsen is currently running a Career Preparation for Writers course at WSU. One of the course assignments involves pairing a student with a campus based office or organization, which, in turn, will provide each student with valuable real-life writing experience. Each student writes proposals for 2 work options explaining what makes the position desirable and how he/she is qualified to support the organization. Professor Nielsen then proceeds to pair a student with the organization of their choice; thus, a wonderful partnership is created.

This semester we’re thrilled and honored to welcome Deryn Copeland, a Senior WSU student majoring in English. Along with weekly blog posts and Facebook updates, Deryn will be working to create an informational and inspiring PowerPoint presentation introducing our work and encouraging newcomers to get involved with an HFL cause.

Our first amazing WSU intern, Alaina Leary, continues to make important contributions to HFL and will be featured in an upcoming blog. Watch for it!

HFL Intern Deryn