From Zimbabwe to England
“Education is the key to the future and to the prosperity of the nation” 
John Hudson, good friend of CBF, is the chairman of the international committee for the Maidenhead Rotary Club. Since hearing about our work, John has been an active and contributing CBF supporter, advocate and fundraiser. For John, Zimbabwe is in fact, a very special nation. John was born, raised and schooled in Zim until 1964, when at age 12, himself, his two sisters and his parents returned to the UK. This Autumn, he revisited his roots by taking a trip, alongside his wife, Linda, to Zimbabwe for the very first time since leaving in 64. Following his trip, we were eager to meet with him to hear all about his time in Zimbabwe. We listened as he recounted the stories of the people he met, the places he visited and all that he experienced. We were so inspired that we thought we’d share a few stories and photos with you, all the way from Zimbabwe to England. I don’t know about you, but these photos made us want to pack up our suitcases, grab our passports and head to Zim for ourselves!
During his visit, John took the opportunity to see some of our projects, meet our team, and spend time with many of our lovely CBF children. He visited and delivered talks at local schools including Cheza Primary. He told us about the sweet sound of the children singing and worshipping at church on Sunday morning, the maheu meal cooked at the feeding programmes and the beautiful scenery of Zimbabwe. When we asked John about his highlight of the trip, he explained that the bright and hopeful enthusiasm of the children that he met was truly remarkable. He talked of the commitment and selfless dedication of the volunteers, including the tireless hard work of our amazing co-founder Beverley.
One particular story that John shared with us really impacted our hearts.
Meet George, age 4.
When George was a baby, he was left at home one day whilst his mother went out to collect water for the family. Whilst his mother was out, George crawled into a fire and tragically burnt his feet, losing his toes. George was left unable to walk, play, run or live a regular life. In desperation, George’s mum approached Beverley in order to seek help for her little boy. With a kind and generous donation from the Maidenhead Rotary Club, George was provided with orthopaedic shoes, enabling him to walk, play outside with his friends and even attend primary school. George loves his shoes so much that he turned to his mother and asked “mum, can I keep them on in bed?!”
We are so grateful for the continual support of John and all members of the Maidenhead Rotary club. We are sending them a big CBF thank you today!
We’d also like to add that if anyone is interested in taking a volunteering trip to Zimbabwe, be sure to get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you!
