About the Trust
Lynde Francis Trust (LFT) is the coordinating and managing partner of a network of community-based organizations. It was registered in 2002 to improve the lives of people living with or affected by HIV.
In its 20 years of operation, the Lynde Francis Trust has built up vulnerable individuals and communities by promoting healthcare, nutrition, schooling for young children and adolescents, and entrepreneurial skills-based learning. Its projects have directly affected the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of children, adolescents and adults.
Much of its work is carried out at The Centre in Mbare, a building on an acre of land made available by the City of Harare. Every week, about 800 vulnerable adults and children from 38 support groups benefit from the services offered at The Centre.
Its offices in the centre of Harare are soon to become ‘The Hub’ where young adults will be able to train with designers, tailors, bag makers and even jewellers and work on items ready for the local and International market of fashion.
Meet Our Team
Lynde was one of the first women in Zimbabwe to disclose her HIV-positive status and did this to support the people of Zimbabwe. She started an organization called the Centre in her own living room at home and this grew into community based organization that supported thousands of people and was run by and for people living with HIV. The centre and the work she did nationally, regionally and internationally have become her legacy.
ABOUT
Working with humanitarian agencies, corporate partners and volunteers LFT has extended its outreach in Zimbabwe by:
- Making healthcare, nutrition and schooling available to young children and their mothers
- Piloting livelihood projects that offer entrepreneurial skills-based learning to adults and adolescents to design and produce innovative items from recycled waste items
- Piloting livelihood projects that involve volunteers in collecting, sorting, selling and recycling waste items
- Raising awareness among vulnerable communities of the value to human life of clean and healthy environments
- Developing markets in the UK and Europe for products recycled and upcycled from waste items created through the livelihood projects and using the proceeds of the sales to support livelihood projects
- Cooperating with commercial and industrial companies in corporate social responsibility initiatives to benefit the communities who buy their products
We build lasting partnerships
LFT links communities and corporations with designers and customers. It builds lasting partnerships to enable disadvantaged communities in Zimbabwe to grow financially.
Community-based
We create livelihood projects that offer entrepreneurial skills-based learning to adults and adolescents.
Access to education
Mobilizing sponsorship for school and exam fees for more than 40 children aged 8 and older.
Sustainable environmental impact
Training community volunteers to create saleable products recycled from waste items.
