Our Organization
Zimele USA is an organization that confronts the root causes of poverty by removing the barriers to self-sufficiency for women in the impoverished and often AIDS-stricken communities of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.
Zimele raises awareness and fundraises for programs that provide economic, educational and social resources such as financial management, job skills and life-skills classes. Since its founding in 2007, Zimele USA has funded programming in South Africa that has empowered over 10,000 women to become small-scale entrepreneurs who sustain independent livelihoods that not only benefit their families, but also their communities.
Zimele programs build the capacity of women to transform their own lives and in turn, transform their communities. These Zulu women have inspired other women, men and children to break historical cycles of poverty and dependence on charity and to take ownership of their own futures.
Vision
Hope - Improving lives through our thoughtful and effective mentoring programs
Healing - Empowering a life for tomorrow, not just sustaining a life for today
Empowerment - Caring for those ravaged by HIV/AIDS, violence, and abject poverty through mental and wellness programs
Justice - Fair and righteous treatment of women and children
Community - Life challenges can only be solved collectively, not individually
Accountability - Individuals and communities are ultimately responsible for their own success
Mission
To confront the root causes of poverty in rural South Africa by empowering women with financial literacy, small business training and life skills to sustain not only themselves, but their families and communities.