It has been a very busy year so far for local couple, David & Martha Holman and their charity Love Zimbabwe. David and Martha moved to Gilwern in April and have been busy planting lots of organic vegetables!
The charity raises money for essential projects in rural areas of Zimbabwe such as boreholes for fresh water, improving medical services at their local clinic in Domboshawa and establishing an area of community land where local people can grow food and work in the workshop built there last year. The workshop was constructed by David & Martha last November with funding from the Castle St. Methodist Church. It has been used primarily by the mothers of disabled children group to make batiks.
In June the couple were guests at the Fairtrade Wales conference in Swansea where Martha was given an award for ‘Inspiring the Nation’ for her work with Fairtrade Wales.
Following this they took their 2 year old daughter, Tanaka to Glastonbury where they set up a large stall selling fairly traded arts & crafts from Zimbabwe. Fortunately the weather was fine and a good amount of money was raised. Another award was presented here for sustainability and the people’s choice for the best stall at Glastonbury.
Soon after this Martha received a phone call from BBC Radio 2 asking whether she would like to tell her life story as part of a new series on the Jeremy Vine show which comes out at the end of September. Jeremy Vine visited David & Martha at their home and spent all day there recording the programme.
Apart from running the charity, the couple organise the ‘March for Africa’ at the Abergavenny food festival which campaigns for fair food deals in the developing world and is sponsored by Oxfam Cymru.
They also run the Wales Fair Trade Fair, now in it’s 7th year. This year the event starts at the Borough Theatre, Abergavenny on Friday 4th Oct with ‘Three Bonzos and a piano’ featuring members of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Tickets £13 (£8 con). The festival continues in Brecon Guild Hall on Sat. 5th Oct and then to the Market Hall, Abergavenny on Sun 6th Oct where there will be 70 stalls over two days selling fair/ethically traded goods form around the world.
Then, last week they received a phone call from the House of Lords inviting them to attend a conference to discuss the future for aid in Zimbabwe on 5th November.
Martha and David return to Zimbabwe at the end of December to install solar panels and a water irrigation system on the community centre funded by the Welsh Assembly.
Martha commented ‘We would like to see as many people as possible at this year’s Wales Fair Trade Fair. Everyone will have a great time. We have live music, African dancing,drumming and food, sheep racing and a children’s African Green Village.’
Well done Martha pls keep it up doing good job for other people.
l will need to contact you pls do email me back on my email above.