CANCER VICTIMS FOUNDATION FORMED
UNITED Kingdom based Zimbabwean businesswoman has formed a foundation, Winne’s Halo Foundation, which will cater for cancer victims.
Leslie Fadzai Mauppah, who lost her mother in 2008, says her heart bleeds for cancer victims and will do her best to help them.
“I have started the organisation honouring my mother who succumbed to cancer in 2008.
“I used the name Winnie because it was her middle name.
“When she passed away, I was so young and I could not process a lot of things like I do now as an adult, but I remember everyone telling me that my mother had a heart of gold.
“From that motivation, I always wanted to do something that would be an example of who she was,” she said. She added:
“My dream is to make a difference in lives of many, improve their quality of life and be able to give children extra time with their loved ones where possible.”
Mauppah said she has a team in the country which is doing the ground work.
“It’s my calling and my aim is to be recognised as well as gaining support from donors.
“We are nominating our first candidate to benefit in the coming week and in order to do this, we will be working with local radio stations for people who are seeking help to come forward.”
Mauppah also told this publication that many families benefited from Winnie Halo Foundation during this induced lockdown.
“Extending a helping hand has always been something I wanted to do, but never had the courage to do so.
“I always found one excuse after the other, but if anything, this lockdown helped me to view life from a different light and actually do something positive.
“We started off with one family, but the goal quickly changed and expanded to several families in high density suburbs.
“Most of these women have very touching genuine struggles, but remain humble and so grateful for what they receive - this to me inspired me to do more, but I realised I could not do all the work myself.
“My fast growing support system and partners in Zimbabwe has been exceptional in ensuring that this hard work comes to light.”
Meanwhile, Mauppah is also boosting confidence of people with several skin diseases.
“Why does no one talk about the impact eczema has on us emotionally.
“I have severe eczema and I allowed it to completely shutter my self-esteem.
“I have also been going to a dermatologist for over nine years, people used to mistake me for a boy because of my loss of hair.
“I just think it’s important to acknowledge the fact that having a condition like this affects your mind and the way you think,” she said.
According to Mauppah, Winnie’s Halo Foundation has been founded as a subsequent measure to allow help under-privileged women with cancer in Zimbabwe.
They also seek to support children that may have been orphaned through cancer.