Students today, innovators &problem solvers tomorrow.

As a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, author of children’s book series and founder of Shiri, I believe that the future of our nation, our environment, and our beautiful people lies in the actions we take today. Tatenda is enthusiastic about encouraging tomorrow’s generation and after spending a substantial amount in Mbare, she sees the location fit for encouraging Mbare’s next generation leaders. Tatenda volunteered as a Math Ambassador for Black Women in STEM at Virginia Commonwealth University and a speaker at Collegiate School RVA. As she transitioned from undergrad she wanted her spirit of energizing young people to continue. As Tatenda approached her undergrad graduation she wondered what would be the best way to give back. “I thought, I cannot solve all the problems I see around me. How about I pay it forward and increase the pool of tomorrow’s problem solvers in Zimbabwe my home country.” This is when Vision21 emerged. Mbare has her heart as her mother has been a teacher for 25 years in this suburb. It is also the most densely populated suburb in Zimbabwe with a significant percent of child headed households, school dropouts, grandmothers taking care of grandchildren and HIV/AIDS orphans. In her words: "My mum dearly loves working and interacting with this neighborhood. This is a small tribute to my mum and to my nation. It is also my way of giving back, showing hope for the nation’s future, paying it forward and gratitude for the education I have attained thus far.”

Thank you for joining us on this journey. As a grassroots organization, we believe in working with people bottom up rather than top down. We hope you will share your expertise with us as we build a community of tomorrow's future leaders. Now, more than ever, we must be bold and we must become the doorways for young people, particularly women, to pursue their passion and interest in science, technology, engineering and maths.