Mai Gunguwo brings Xmas cheer to the poor
While many people ate, drank and made merry to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, there were many too, whose lives continued on the grim path — hungry, thirsty, without adequate clothing and, for a good number, without a roof over their heads.
For many of these, Christmas and New Year’s Day actually brought more gloom, hunger and loneliness. Their benefactors stayed at home on this day; feasting with their families. Very few of them found time to venture into town where the destitute street kid waited in vain for left-overs and that occasional coin.
There are others too, who on that Christmas day, sat in their homes, alone and without food or drink. The festive season meant nothing to them because, while others may have thrown away excess food, to them, Christmas was just another day of struggle; a battle to find food to eat.
So, it was with these less fortunate members of society in mind that Eternal Word Ministries International leader and marriage counsellor Lucia Gunguwo found herself spending all of New Year’s Day visiting destitute and other vulnerable families, sharing food and happiness.
“The idea was brought up by the huge family of fans on my Facebook page who decided to recognise the Christmas spirit of giving. The suggestion quickly got traction and in no time, contributions started to flow. Within a few days we had raised sizeable quantities of foodstuffs and we invited from members, suggestions for beneficiaries.
“We came up with a list, including several elderly women living in Mbare without reliable means of sustenance. We got child-headed families that live equally desperately and a few more destitute individuals and families that were identified as needing help. I organised the distribution logistics to enable us to visit as many needy people as possible on New Year’s Day,” said Mai Gunguwo.
She said because of the need to regularise the exercise and operate within the confines of the law, she had to rope in the Voice of Peace, a registered private voluntary organisation, to carry out the work for her Facebook fans.
Voice of Peace is a philanthropic vehicle that Mai Gunguwo formed several years back with the express aim to assist society’s less privileged. The organisation has so far managed to transform many lives through education support. Several young people have been sent to school and many acquired high-level life skills.
“So, the Mai Gunguwo Facebook fans, working under the auspices of Voice of Peace, moved around on New Year’s Day bringing cheer to many destitute individuals and families,” she said.
“Besides drawing huge smiles and happiness among the beneficiaries, this good deed has brought so much joy to the Mai Gunguwo fans, for is it not God Himself that declares in His scriptures that ‘Blessed is the hand that giveth’?”