The Republic of Zimbabwe has seen an economic decline since the year 2000. According to some studies, the rate of unemployment in Zimbabwe has risen to a surprising 95%. Those with employment do not earn enough to sustain their family and maintain healthy living. In 2013, reports showed that the national treasury only had $217. This makes Zimbabwe one of the poorest nations in the world.
For these reasons, a lot of charity groups have targeted Zimbabwe. These groups reach out, offering as much help as they can. You can help out too, regardless if you’re a student or otherwise. There are ways to create jobs or offer Zimbabweans the things most people take for granted. Consider the following ways you can offer assistance:
Run a Donation Drive
Donation drives are amongst the most common ways you can help Zimbabweans. The country is so poor that the people and the government will appreciate any donation. You can go to your friends or family to fill up a donation box. You can expand on that idea and collect donations from your neighbors or schoolmates.
These donations can range from dry food products, clothes, and books. These products can keep a family alive in times of famine and poverty. Books can keep students in school. Medicine is also appreciated although there might be legal hurdles to get those products in the country. This all depends on the laws Zimbabwe imposes regarding medicine and drug imports.
You can even make this a fun event for the school. Turn it into a competition. The group that earns the most donations will earn a prize. This will motivate the students to go around and get as many donations as possible.
Raise Funds for Charity Events
When all else fails, money is a good go-to solution. There are dozens of charity groups that need money. With the necessary funds, they can give assistance to Zimbabweans. As a matter of fact, many organizations discourage canned food donations. This is because canned food may not be necessary at the moment. Those donations then go to waste. Instead, donate money and the organization will allocate those funds where needed.
There are many ways you can raise funds. You can sell cookies or lemonade to earn donations. Students fond of video games can play live on YouTube or Twitch and ask for donations on those platforms. You can organize a festival or competition like a battle of the bands to earn money through ticket sales. These are all great ways to help charity organizations working in Zimbabwe.
You can make this the biggest project in your town. A big battle of the bands or a town festival could revolve around raising funds for Zimbabwe. Ticket sales, profits from sold souvenirs and tokens, and donations can all get directed to aiding Zimbabwe.
Launch a Yuda Bands Project
Yuda Bands is about selling bracelets. These bracelets are handmade using recycled leather and coconut shells. The money earned from sales helps put Zimbabwe children in school.
Launching this project is also quick and easy. It doesn’t cost anything either. The organization sends the bracelets for free, as well as the promotional materials like posters. You are then tasked to sell as many bracelets as you can in two weeks. You can send back unsold bracelets to the organization for free; they’ll cover the charges for shipping and handling.
Being free and quick to run makes Yuda Bands a suitable project for students to run. Like other charity activities in school, you can turn this into a competition and reward those who sell the most bracelets in two weeks.
Coordinate With Your Church or Library
Your church or library can be a good resource to offer help. Many missionary groups head to Zimbabwe to create jobs or give donations. You could help these non-government organizations. They might need more staff members, more volunteers, or additional donations and cash. Even the slightest bit of help can lead to a successful trip to Zimbabwe.
The library often has a large bulletin board with government advertisements. You might find a charity group or company that is seeking for volunteers and donations specifically for Zimbabwe. If there isn’t a bullet board then it is likely that the librarian can guide you to the right person to talk to.
If you’re launching your own service project then the church or library are good places to go. They can help advertise your project to those who might want to help. Even if your project is for students you could still get aid from the rest of the community. Every little help for Zimbabwe counts.
Spread Awareness
If there’s nothing else you can do, you can always help to spread awareness. Use the tools available to you to let others know about the unemployment rate in Zimbabwe. Let others know that there are people suffering and that they need help. You might get the attention of a bunch of students or even people in power like local politicians. They could open the doors to get the community together to help out Zimbabweans.
Use whatever tools are available. Put up posters on the school campus or the library bulletin board. Start a forum online to spread awareness. You can use Yuda Bands not only to create jobs but also spread awareness. A move as simple as this can be a big help. It will motivate other people to get moving and do something about the problem.
Another way to spread awareness is to get on social media. Launch an online campaign on Facebook or YouTube to help spread the word. The good thing about social media is that messages like this, about Zimbabwe, can go viral in a matter of days. You’ll be able to reach hundreds or even thousands in the blink of an eye.
