Elias Fund - Blog

It’s the simple rule of grassroots. It’s an act of love as small as a mustard seed infecting an entire nation. It’s the story of one person entering into the suffering of a specific community and ending up with a nation-wide movement.  This is the story of Tore, a social entrepreneur in Zimbabwe the Elias Fund is proud to call ‘friend’. 

People suffering from blindness in Zimbabwe are relegated to the outskirts of society. With no government safety nets to care for their disability, most blind persons and their families must endure the hardships of extreme poverty. Our friend Tore could not sit idly and watch these community members suffer.

So several years back Tore established a monthly community gathering for blind persons and their families. The gathering included games, music, and the distribution of food assistance. The idea was to create a safe, fun place for blind persons to feel their individual worth while receiving essential resources for daily life. The idea was to create a stronger community. And it’s worked!

Tore started with just a few local families gathering at his workshop. When we first heard about the program the number was at 30 families. Soon after we started supporting him, the number blossomed to 80 families. But word kept spreading, love kept growing, and now Tore’s blind outreach has created a loving community for over 200 families. The program hasn’t changed. The location hasn’t moved. The love hasn’t lessened. It’s nothing short of amazing, and a testament to the power of the grassroots.

Blind persons travel from every corner of Zimbabwe (on free bus passes) to the humble workshop of a simple man trying to love his community. It’s been a blind revolution, a victory for grassroots love. 

If you’d like to support or learn more about Tore or other Elias Fund partners, please do not hesitate to email: scott@eliasfund.org