TellZim Reporter
The Zimbabwe Leeds Community (ZLC) a charity organization established in 2016 for Zimbabweans living in the West Yorkshire area in the United Kingdom is bringing smiles to vulnerable Zimbabweans struggling to make ends meet away from home.
Over the Christmas holidays, ZLC visited some vulnerable members of the Zimbabwean community who have been struggling with various issues including being on asylum for many years and not being able to travel back home for the bereavement of close ones.
ZLC chairperson Chris Goshomi said among many objectives of the organization, one of its main aims was to mobilize and bring the people of Zimbabwe who live in the West Yorkshire area together, and build a diverse, but centralized community of Zimbabwean people who are able to support each other in times of need.
“The Zimbabwean people in West Yorkshire area have come to understand that the process of migration can be stressful depending on the type and cause of migration, and has far-reaching negative effects on the socioeconomic circumstances, and health and wellbeing of the migrating individuals and their families.
“In an attempt to address some of the contemporary challenges among the community membership, ZLC this year took advantage of its ballooning membership to crowd fund , buy some Christmas goodies for its vulnerable groups, which included those who are less fortunate, like some new migrant workers and students who are not yet fully financially established, the elderly people, the disabled, and those in health challenges and are not able to work,” Goshomi said.
He also said the opportunity was an enriching experience to understand the level of scope ZLC had to benefit communities.
“I went in a team of ten colleagues and spent all afternoon delivering groceries, clothes and other items to people in need, as well as having time to talk to the communities,” Goshomi said.
The organization is currently working on the formal registration for ZLC as a charity with the Charities Commission for which it has created a registration team which consists of lawyers in the Zimbabwe Community and other supporting members with experience in establishing charities.
They are also looking at how they can increase revenue to build the Zimbabwe Community Centre which Goshomi said is the long-term plan.
