Chronicle Editor
Lovemore Dube, Sunday News Correspondent
GROWING up at Sotshangane Flats in Nguboyenja prepared Mrs Michelle Tshuma nee Msimanga for philanthropy work in adult life as everyday she came across Jairos Jiri inmates or helped a fellow pupil walk to school.
Yesterday she gave residents of Sotshangane Flats hope when through her Hope Restoration Academy, a local company, drilled a borehole in her neighbourhood. She has set aside US$6 335 for the borehole and accessories to afford the community piped water.
“Water is life so I, together with my husband, took it upon ourselves to assist our people with a basic need for everyday life. We heard that they are having a challenge with the commodity and we decided to shelve our other regular activities like grocery hampers for the community so that we could provide water which is in short supply yet there is ever demand for it,” said Mrs Tshuma.
She said her foundation is funded by her husband and herself. While growing up she used to do voluntary work and she confesses to have been touched by seeing some of the children she went with to school on wheelchairs and with different types of disabilities.
“I learnt about caring when I was young. I would find myself assisting those with disabilities to get to school. A seed of helping others was planted in me then. I also saw the importance of water when I was growing up as people going to or coming from work would ask for it from residents here. I learnt that it was a basic need for life. I blended well with people with disabilities at an early age. People like Paul Matavire, was our neighbour.
“We are self-sponsoring and we would like to give hope to our community and get people to be self reliant and sustaining. They have to be resilient and we are in the process of asking for land to build a community centre which will help train youths in practical jobs so that they learn to be self-sufficient. We want our youths to have projects to do to sustain themselves and their families.
“As a couple we believe in local solutions for local problems. The borehole gesture is complementing that effort and thrust. Our communities must look at solving problems among themselves so that they can self-sustain. We want to see communities thriving,” said Mrs Tshuma whose organisation was formed in 2020 to assist the elderly and less privileged children.
Every now and then her organisation donates food hampers to the elderly and pays school fees for dozens of children.
“We started this organisation with a view of closing the gap between the less privileged and their privileged counterparts. So we decided to assist with welfare issues such as food, education and extra curriculum activities,” said Mrs Msimanga who works as a business consultant in the UK despite holding a Masters Degree in Social Work.
Mr Vusumuzi Tshuma, her husband is an Air Condition and Refrigeration engineer in the UK. Mr Newman Ndlovu, an artist and resident of Sotshangane Flats said the Tshumas’ gesture was welcome and had come at the right time with residents having gone for two weeks without water.ulawa
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