Who's Involved in COmpassion for African Villages
Compassion for African Villages was started in June of 2007 by Ms. Tsitsi Mutseta, then a full-time student at San Diego State University majoring in Public Health. At the time, Tsitsi (whose name means 'compassion' or 'mercy' in Shona, her native tongue) worked three jobs to raise money for orphans in her home village of Rundogo, Zimbabwe.
When Tsitsi left the village of Rundogo for the USA in 1999, her village was sustaining itself through subsistence agriculture, like many rural African villages. The village had been devastated by disease--HIV/AIDS, cholera, and malaria. The villagers had asked Tsitsi for help. She was the only one who had ever traveled to America.
Tsitsi worked three jobs, sending money to keep the orphans in school, to clothe them, to feed them, and even to buy them coffins. After 5 years, almost half of Rundogo had vanished, leaving no one between the ages of 18-40. All who are are orphans and the elderly who take care of them. |
In 2007, tragedy struck closer to San Diego--Tsitsi was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. Ever courageous and hopeful, she decided to start the all volunteer, non-profit charitable organization Compassion for African Villages in order to educate others about the problems faced by impoverished villagers in Africa and to raise funds to help solve those problems.
Since then, Tsitsi and other members of the San Diego community have banded together to fight hard for Rundogo and other villages in Africa. A chapter of the organization was started at San Diego State University. The SDSU students work closely with other members of the community to raise awareness about poverty and social injustice in Africa, to raise money for relief efforts in African villages, and to support Tsitsi. |
We hope someday to become successful enough to spread our mission throughout Africa.
it takes a village
We have been blessed to have many friends and partners involved in Compassion for African Villages. People like you make projects like ours succeed. We welcome anyone willing to help us. There is always something to do for the orphans and villagers.
Learn about the people who make CAV happen:
in memoriamTsitsi Mutseta
Founder, Director & former President of CAV, with us still in loving memory |
Compassion for African Villages is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. EIN #26-0469607