MantateMLOTSHWA

Community Initiatives

Starting where I come from

I was raised by my grandmother in Nkulumane, Bulawayo. Most of what I give goes back to communities like the one that raised me, through funds raised on my birthday and through sharing what I have learned.

120+

children with school fees paid to date through Lead Girls to School

6

years the Nkulumane community borehole has been running since 2020

Since high school

my first project was with the Lead Us Today club, buying sanitary wear for girls at my school. It continues to this day.

Since 2019 · Hwange, Nkayi and Bulawayo

Lead Girls to School

An informal programme I have built over the years to keep girls, especially girls in rural communities, in school, mainly by paying their school fees. It began as an annual birthday fundraiser.

To date, more than 120 children have had their school fees paid. In 2026 alone, we paid fees for 10 girls in Hwange, 10 girls in Nkayi and two children in Bulawayo at my former primary school. The girls keep doing really well, which is why the plan is to find ways to sustain this support year after year.

Read the 2019 launch coverage →
2020 · Nkulumane, Bulawayo

Water My Roots

During water rationing, the grandmothers and grandfathers raising children in my childhood neighbourhood had to walk long distances for water. For my 25th birthday I raised the funds to drill a borehole and bring water closer to them.

Six years on, it is still running, kept alive by local authorities who repair it when needed and by a community that protects it as its own. It remains one of my favourite projects.

Read the coverage →

Spotlight · Sustainability · Hwange · Since 2025

A poultry project with Shangano Arts Trust

Shangano Arts Trust is one of the community organisations I most admire in Zimbabwe. They do great work, but resources are hard to come by. So instead of a one-off donation, I provided the capital to start a chicken business that could fund their work.

It is my favourite example of what sustainable support for community-based organisations can look like.

Day-old chicks under a heat lamp at the Shangano Arts Trust poultry project
50

chickens at the start

100

chickens and growing, with plans for 150, 200 and beyond

Boxes of donated books delivered for the community library in Hwange
In progress · Pilot · Hwange · with Shangano Arts Trust

Libraries for rural communities

We are turning a room into a community library. It has been painted and renovated, the books have already been mobilised, and furniture comes next. This is a pilot that I hope to take to other rural communities.

Room renovatedDone
Books mobilisedDone
Furniture installedNext

Help us finish it. We are looking for support with shelves, tables and chairs to open the library’s doors.

Support the library

Sharing what I know · since 2023

Graduate applications, every October

Every October I convene open conversations for students applying to graduate programmes abroad, especially in the UK, where I studied, and in other countries too. I walk through the process and what to keep in mind, invite others to share their own experiences, and open the floor to questions.

2025 · Four-week Zoom series
Every Friday in October, a session on a different part of the application process, with guests on specific countries, programmes, universities and funding.
2023 and 2024 · Twitter Spaces
An annual October Space on the application process, with guest speakers and open questions.

More projects

Year-by-year highlights

2025

Sewing machines for rural schools

I donated sewing machines to schools to support their Fashion and Fabrics classes. As someone who loves fashion, I know how hard it is to learn the subject without ever touching a machine, and rural students often never get the chance.

2024

Grocery hampers for elders in Nkulumane

The year after my grandmother passed away, I used my birthday to raise funds for groceries for older people in my childhood community. Some of the support also reached families living with albinism, identified with the help of a friend who works with that community.

Bulawayo

Sanitary pads for women and girls in informal settlements

Menstrual products for women and girls living in informal settlements in my city.

2018

Six months of sanitary pads for girls in a South African orphanage

For my end-of-programme civic initiative at the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Regional Leadership Center Southern Africa, I led a team that raised a six-month supply of sanitary pads in three days, mobilising funds from fellow YALI participants.

High school

Lead Us Today club: sanitary wear for girls at my school

My first project. As part of the Lead Us Today club, we fundraised to buy sanitary wear for underprivileged girls in our school. The project continues to this day.

Support the work

Beyond my birthday, I am always looking for people who want to connect with these communities, especially to keep girls in school through Lead Girls to School. You can donate, adopt a girl by covering her school fees, or send uniforms, stationery and other supplies.

Reach out to support