Inspiration in Time of Trouble
An Interview with Roseline Ndoro
Some people are overwhelmed by difficulties and some people rise to the challenge. Roseline is one of those special people who shine in the face of adversity.
In March 2006 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent an operation followed by grueling chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She lost her hair and suffered the sickness and depression that can go with the treatment. During the course of radiotherapy her husband dropped dead very unexpectedly. Life could not have got much worse for her but it did as in May 2007 her brother died suddenly.
"Whatever you can dream you can do"
Roseline found a reason to go on; she had a vision - she wished to help the people of her home village in Zimbabwe. Her father had died previously and left a large farm but due to the current political situation in that country it was left derelict. On returning to Zimbabwe in December 2006 she saw at first hand the poverty and despair in a once thriving community. These people needed her help.
She decided to build a school to benefit the 179 orphans in the area. These children left without anything by the scourge of Aids and economic depression. So many young children in the care of their grandparents who were already living on the poverty line.
She felt driven by a saying her father used to tell her "Whatever you can dream you can do - just begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it". He had also seen the benefit of educating all of his children, girls and boys alike. He told her that he had seen the vision before Tony Blair that the answer for Africa was "education, education, education." This would enable people to help themselves and not just wait for the handouts from the western world.
She was inspired by the quote of Arnold Palmer "The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done".
On her return to London she talked to her three children and told them of her dream. They backed her 100% and she organised for plans to be drawn up with a budget for the building works for her school. This would provide a community centre for her village with a pharmacy, community hall, classrooms etc. The estimated costs were £50,000. Where would she find the monies to finance such a bold project?
"You can do it ..."
Again she was not fazed by the enormity of it all. She decided to take early retirement from her job as a community nurse and dedicate her time and effort to raising money. Roseline had a strong feeling pushing her to be bold and saying "You can do it Roseline". She felt that God was on her side.
So this was the start of a project that will achieve a legacy in the memory of her husband and father.
At her first BBQ she managed to raise £900 from sponsorship of individual children and pledged donations. This encouraged her to go on - she realised that people did want to help but did not know how. She ran a raffle and a book sale. Working on a small scale she wanted to find people who would be willing to sponsor a child's education for a year. She asked for £10 per month which would enable her to get the scheme off the ground.
She is planning to return to Zimbabwe to set up photographs of the children so that people can feel involved with individuals. She is planning to go to New York at Christmas to preach her message there and to enlist the help of people to make her dream a reality.
Roseline is an inspiration to us all as she follows a path that she feels has been set out for her. We can only wish her luck and success.
Read about Roseline's tea party that raised urgent funds for her charity »
More Information
Ndoro Children's Charities website »
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