Sean V. of the Denver-based company 90octane annually participates in a company-wide mustache challenge. Participants are challenged to grow the most superior mustache with the winner receiving $500 to donate to one’s charity of choice. Sean, a two-time winner, has donated his past winnings to the Elias Fund.
Relying on creativity over follicle density, Sean has trumped the competition by creating a character for each event. This year he is Don Austere, a tennis aficionado, and once again he has his eye on the $500 prize for EF. The caveat to this year’s competition is that voting is open to the general public. That means you can vote; your friends can vote; even your mother can vote! The more votes we get for Sean’s mustache campaign, the closer we are to the $500 prize.
Raising $500 dollars is just a few simple clicks away – request a ballot here, then vote for Sean when you electronically receive your ballot on Halloween, October 31. While you’re at it, send the word out to your friends and family to do the same. A simple action, a simple way of spreading hope and opportunity in Zimbabwe.
The Elias Fund was honored last week to stand in solidarity with sixteen other leading non-governmental organizations in protest to the government of Zimbabwe’s treatment of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA).
In a letter addressed to Patrick Chinamasa, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, we collectively expressed our concern and looked to draw attention to the mistreatment of civil society in Zimbabwe. In particular, we aired our grievances over the prolonged incarceration of Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, activist leaders of WOZA, who were imprisoned on September 21 during a peaceful demonstration commemorating the International Day of Peace.
Our joint protest included backing from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, Amnesty International USA, Freedom House and Human Rights Watch. You can read the letter in its entirety here.
The letter was released on the eve of a potentially monumental week, which has seen the United Nations Human Rights Council intensely scrutinize Zimbabwe’s human rights record. We are hopeful the calls to investigate human rights abuses in the country come to fruition.
Just this week the U.K. based Economist Intelligence Unit rated Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, the worst of 140 cities worldwide in which to live. According to VOA, “The report said Harare’s chronic water and power outages contributed to a mere 38 percent “livability rating” in the study . . . [The] threat of civil unrest, poor health care services and sketchy, overcrowded public transport [are] also serious drawbacks to life in Harare. The group said phone and Internet services in Harare are sub-standard as well.”
So with this report lingering in the back of our minds, we were overjoyed when an email came through from our friends in Chiredzi with an update on Elias’ house. As phone and internet services continue to deteriorate in a horrid fashion, communication from Zim is like gold these days.
Now then to the true reason for this post – in checklist fashion here’s what has been completed since we last had an update on Elias’ house:
- Roof is fully complete.
- Chasing for electrical conduit is done.
- Kitchen extension is complete.
- All doors and windows are secure with lintels.
Now that this list is done and dusted, the construction moves on to these next targets:
- Plaster over electrical conduiting
- Purchase and install doors and windows
- Secure building
- Chase for Plumbing
- Build retainer wall as required by building inspector
Quite exciting to have continual progress forward given the nature of things in Zimbabwe. We’re anticipating the day Elias, Servi and the boys will be able to move into their house . . . and surely that day is not far away. If you’d like to contribute to the construction of Elias’ house, please consider making a donation today. Thanks!
Construction on Elias' house continues
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