18
coMMunity
March 11, 2014
Local Run for Zimbabwe, March 23
Reflection on Social
Justice, March 22
supports orphans, young women
By Roberta Ward
The 15th annual Run for Zimbabwe
Orphans and Fair will take place Sun.,
March 23, 12-4 pm, at St. Joseph Catholic
School in Mountain View. Sponsored
by the Sustainable Living Foundation,
it supports Makumbi Children’s Home
in Zimbabwe where 92 orphans are
provided basic necessities.
The Foundation is a family enterprise, headed by President Ellen Clark
and including her husband and grown
children. Clark, a former physical
education teacher at Saint Francis High
School in Mountain View, said the event
“encourages kids in philanthropy as
well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”
The Saint Francis connection runs
deep. Clark noted, “On Jan. 1 this year,
we lost a compassionate and giving
person when Father Eric Freed died,”
having been found dead in his rectory
in Eureka, a murder victim. (The Valley
Catholic, Jan. 14 edition)
“Father Freed worked as a dedicated
chaplain and religious studies teacher at
the high school and never failed to provide the Sustainable Living Foundation
with continued support and warmth,”
Clark said. “He held a special place in
our hearts. We are dedicating the fifth
and sixth grade girls and boys mile to
Father Freed.”
The Run has races for all ages: 220
yards for pre-schoolers, half a mile for
kindergarteners, and one mile for all
other grades. The event also features a
mini-fair, t-shirt sale, Zimbabwe bands,
traditional food, and an art contest.
It will also benefit construction and
funding of The Sister Batsirai Cottage,
supervised and run by Makumbi,
which will be for 18-year-old girls who
The Valley Catholic
T-shirt designed by Will Clark for the 15th Annual Run for Zimbabwe Orphans and Fair.
are “aged out” of the orphanage. It will
provide them with vocational skills and
assistance in finding employment.
Clark said that in Zimbabwe, similar
to many other regions, “young women
are subjected to sex trafficking, sexual
abuse and forced marriage. It’s a terrible
situation! If the girls do not find gainful
employment or have access to an education, they can fall into prostitution. That
also leads to a high HIV/AIDS rate.”
Zimbabwe faces many challenges–90
percent unemployment and high poverty. “We, The Sustainable Living Foundation, in partnership with Makumbi, are
trying to make a difference by empowering young women. ‘Batsirai’ means
‘help’ in the Shona language.
“My son Will befriended Sister Batsirai Makoni when he was in Zimbabwe.
Sister Batsirai grew up at Makumbi,
mentored young women in the village
of Murombedzi and, sadly, was killed
in a van accident in 2002. She, too, has a
race dedicated to her,” Clark said.
The Sustainable Living Foundation’s
website has more information: www.
ZimbabweParaguay.net.
“The Call of Pope Francis: Become
Instruments of Peace” will be the theme
for a Reflection on Social Justice, Sat.,
March 22, sponsored by pa