Meet the Mentor Sunga Mwila is a youth mentor, arts educator, curator and community development practitioner based in Livingstone, Zambia. Through Sungomukoshi Girls Club, which operates under Friends of Change Foundation, she combines mentorship and the arts to help teenage girls develop confidence, resilience and life skills. A practising mixed-media artist and Fine Arts graduate, Sunga believes every young person deserves a safe place where they feel seen, valued and encou

At Global Sojourns Giving Circle, we listen, learn and grow alongside the community-based organizations we support and the mentors we walk with. Today, our commitment is clear: to holistically empower young people to reach their greatest potential and inspire their...

The story of Kuchengetedza Boys Club in the Lower Zambezi In Zambia’s Lower Zambezi, conservation is not something discussed in theory. It is part of daily life. Elephants move through crop fields. Monkeys raid harvests. Some families have lost loved…

A Different Kind of Development It was early 2020, after more than 15 years working in the responsible travel, safari, conservation and community development sectors across Southern Africa, that I joined GS Giving Circle. From my first meeting, when Founder…

Shattered Childhood, Endless Hunger Maliki was just a young girl when her life was torn apart. In Grade 7, her father—the family’s sole breadwinner—passed away suddenly, leaving her mother to care for Maliki and her siblings alone. Their small home…

When Hope Whispers in the Dark The sun rose the same way each morning in Victoria Falls, but inside Lizzybirth’s small, crowded home, the weight of life never lifted. Her parents worked themselves to exhaustion just to keep food on…

A Spark Ignited In the heart of Tabayengwe Village, where hope often feels distant, 19-yearold Ayanda Ndlovu’s story shines as a symbol of courage and perseverance. Raised by her grandmother, Ayanda grew up knowing what it meant to struggle —...

Charity Chipopola was the girl who stayed in her room, invisible to the world, quiet even among friends. “I used to ask myself, ‘What will we even talk about at the girls club?’” she recalls. Growing up in Livingstone, Zambia,…

Why Global Sojourns Giving Circle’s Mentoring Model Matters By Holley Gilbert and Suzanne Firth, GSGC Supporters “I am unique. I matter.” These five words seem simple. But when a young person believes them — really believes them — everything can…

Tikobane Club: Building Opportunities, Changing Perceptions In rural Dete, which borders Zimbabwe’s massive Hwange National Park, youth face limited opportunities and have few positive role models. Without structured activities or many educational or economic opportunities, many struggle to find direction,…

Growing Up in Mkhosana At just 23, Ratidzai has already defied immense odds to achieve what once felt impossible. Born and raised in Mkhosana, a small community in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, her childhood was far removed from the images of…

By Suzanne Firth, GSGC supporter, Toronto, Canada “I thought I knew just about everything about GSGC and its work, but my experience in Zimbabwe proved me wrong.” In a coach heading south from scenic Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, we are 13...

Loveangel Sibanda was surprised when, at 15, her performance of her poem, “Equality,” won GSGC’s Creative Expressions Contest last year. Then came another surprise. Zimbabwe’s chapter of UNICEF —United National Children’s Fund — asked her to recite her poem at...

Take 1 Zimbabwean development specialist Christabelle Peech was blown away by the three GSGC-sponsored clubs she visited in spring 2021 while assessing her country’s tourism industry during the pandemic. She’d known about GSGC’s work in the region, but 2021 was...

Q. Why did you start mentoring girls in this rural area west of Livingstone, Zambia? A. When I came here, I could see that most girls were not much into education. Sometimes they’d go to school, (but) they didn’t know...

Development and tourism specialist Christabelle Peech wants to bridge the gap between wildlife and the people who live around wildlife areas in Zimbabwe. When she ventured out recently to see the state of tourism after a year in pandemic lock...

The story of a traveler turned devoted GSGC supporter and volunteer, Suzanne Firth. I have lived abroad, but never set foot in Africa. Curious, I used a giant atlas and Google Maps to follow a friend’s trip to Namibia with...

Laury Bryant thought she had a grasp of how to support struggling communities in Africa — until she met GSGC mentors and teenagers face to face. For the Seattle resident and her husband, Bill, this most recent trip was their...

Growing up in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Procedure Mhlange watched her widowed mother struggle to provide for her, her brothers and her aunts and their children. Procedure and the women suffered at the hands of male relatives, but the women were...

Faced with raising a child on her own, Gloria knew she must be strong. She wanted a better life and hoped to help girls make good choices for themselves. Her dream came true when she was selected to be the…