What's up with Woo?

Vhuhwavho Nevhungoni, a member of the ARV workshop and an activist for children and teens living with HIV is only 15 years old, yet she possesses a soul that’s wise and passionate beyond her years.

The last time Hope for Limpopo formally checked in with Woo, she was working hard to challenge the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. By creating an open community where children and teens suffering from this terrible virus can communicate openly with each  other, Woo continues to save lives. Without these lines of communication many HIV positive youth would not take their medication for fear of discrimination, thus lowering their chances of living a long and healthy life. 

Woo’s impact continues to grow since she started her mission to improve the lives of her fellow HIV+ peers. When asked for updates, Woo had a lot to say. She expressed her wish that her Facebook page, “A Life Worth Living” could extend its already impressive  outreach. Ideally, the page will continue to grow into a global platform where friends and strangers alike could talk about living with HIV/AIDS; to help Woo accomplish her goal, like her Facebook page “A Life Worth Living” linked below! 

Following the loss of her dear friend Ronewa, Woo is keeping a positive outlook. Despite their grieving, the members of the Limpopo community know that the best way to honor their late friend is to keep pushing forward. Currently, Woo is joining the boys  in developing their plumbing, painting, and other skills needed to complete a recently built home near Woo’s own, while some girls have begun attending sewing and knitting classes. 

While the impact of the ARV workshop is growing, the dynamic is changing as well. Those members who entered as children are becoming adults, and as a result, are finding they can play a much more influential role in the program. They will be accepting more  responsibility than before, including watching out for those younger than themselves, planning workshops and trips, and coming up with new ways to increase the impact of the ARV workshop. 

To learn more about this impressive young lady’s story, check out our previous blog post, 'Our Youngest Aids Activist.'


Help Woo accomplish her goal of expanding her outreach to children and teens affected by ARV by liking her Facebook page and spreading the word here: 

Learning for the Sake of Ubuntu

Ofhani Shaun Mandiwana is from a small village called Mapate in Limpopo, South Africa. Ofhani describes it as a place where “horrific crimes” happen often, and where he “grew up believing that due to the sheer magnitude of the injustice, there was nothing he could do about it except to focus on getting an education which would increase [his] chances of putting bread on the table for [his] family in the future…nothing more.”

With this mindset, Ofhani secured a Davis Scholarship and pursued an education at the College of Idaho. Amidst a list of accomplishments that include, but are not limited to, being President of the International Student Organization and an active member of both the Delegation for the Model UN and the College of Idaho’s Enactus Chapter, Ofhani’s view of education shifted. He has adopted the belief of the late Nkosi Johnson who died of HIV+/AIDS at the tender age of 12... “learn, earn, and return.”

For Ofhani, his education gave him both the tools necessary for articulating the needs of those who could not do so themselves and the network within which he could exercise these skills.

This is not to say things always worked out the way Ofhani hoped they would! He wrote to many different organizations before he was successful in finding someone who would help him on his mission to “....impart the young learners of [Vhutshilo Mountain School] with computer skills and life lessons that will enable them to live active and positive lives.” As a result of his tireless efforts, Ofhani played an essential role in the the donation of 10 computers and hard drives by the HP Foundation to the Vhutshilo Mountain School (VMS).

With the donation of these computers, Ofhani hopes to “encourage the community to rise up through education and get young learners to “give back” via the spirit of Ubuntu, meaning ‘I am because we are.’ ”

Perseverance has allowed Ofhani to take leaps and bounds on his mission to give back. He continues to learn, earn, and return to the communities he cares about through his personal successes. Next, Ofhani hopes to pursue his master’s degree in International Business while living in a busy city like Boston, New York, or Seattle.

Hope for Limpopo is so grateful to have Ofhani as a friend and an integral part of the organization. We are eager to see how he will continue to change the world.

Ofhani + HP Co. + Enactus = Success for ARV Students

There is no greater joy than watching the faces of our young

friends accepting a donation of 10 brand new HP computers! Without computers, HFL’s mission for a self-sustaining future for the VMS students could never be realized. Technology is a vital component in even the smallest of tasks in today’s world. It could be said that without the generous donation from Hewlitt-Packard Co. coupled with an earlier donation from Newman's Own Foundation and the hard work done by Ofhani Shaun Mandiwana, and the Enactus Chapter at the College of Idaho to secure this donation, the children of Vhutshilo Mountain School (VMS) would be left without the tools to create a successful future for themselves and their community.

Ofhani has been working for years to realize his dream of helping VMS students to access the best resources possible so that they might further their educational goals and keep the premise of Ubuntu (a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity) foremost in their minds. At the College of Idaho, Ofhani is involved with Enactus, an international non-profit organization dedicated to enabling progress through entrepreneurial action. With the help of Charles Griffend, adviser Scott Johnson and the entire Enactus Chapter, Ofhani created a prospectus called A Byte of Peace. The prospectus outlined the background, framework, objectives, and significance of Ofhani’s plan.

The proposal was a success, and a grant was awarded by Hewlitt-Packard Company Foundation to Hope for Limpopo, Inc. for the donation of 10 computers dedicated to the ARV Workshop.

What the HP CO Foundation really did, however, is provide hope and opportunity to the VMS students. This donation will allow the students to overcome the saddening statistics surrounding the youth of South Africa and particularly those infected with the HIV+/AIDS virus. Already there has been a whirlwind of ideas and proposed curriculum changes within the school, all of which will open the students to more opportunities than their supporters could ever predict. 

Thank you to our past, present and future donors who believe that knowledge is the key to success and are willing to give these impoverished but eager students the chance to make it happen.