Making a Difference
kikki.K is proud to be sharing a percentage of profit from each sale of Kristina Karlsson's ‘Your Dream Life Starts Here’ book with the Tererai Trent International Foundation, helping Tererai build on the generous foundational support she received from Oprah Winfrey, and supporting her dream to empower women and provide universal access to quality education for children, regardless of their gender or socio-economic backgrounds.
Through the sale of Kristina’s book so far, and the generosity of our #101milliondreamers community, kikki.K has been able to raise over USD $60,000 for Tererai Trent International as well as donate $250,000 worth of stationery to the students of Dr Tererai Trent’s 12 schools in rural Zimbabwe.
Kristina’s dream is to sell 1 million copies of her book, and eventually raise USD $1 million for Tererai Trent International. Keep reading below for the positive impact this funding has had so far.
TINOGONA - IT IS ACHIEVABLE!
ABOUT DR TERERAI TRENT
Rooted in humble beginnings, Tererai grew up in a cattle-herding family in rural Zimbabwe, in a country known as Rhodesia under colonial rule, where cultural practices and a war that liberated her country charted the course of her life. Due to traditional women's role and cultural norms, Tererai did not have the opportunity to go to school. Undeterred, she still dreamed of an educational and determinedly taught herself to read and write from her brother's schoolbooks. Despite being married young and having three children by the time she was eighteen, she never lost sight of her dreams.
As a young mother without a high school diploma, Tererai met a woman who would profoundly impact her life: Jo Luck, president and CEO of Heifer International. She told Tererai, "If you believe in your dreams, they are achievable."
With this inspiration and her own mother's encouragement, Tererai wrote down her dreams of going to America for higher education, sealed them in a tin can, and buried them under a rock, ultimatedly redesigning the blueprint of her life.
Dr. Trent could not have imagined that her steadfast determination, hard work and belief in her dreams would eventually earn her multiple degrees, and a prominent global platform with world leaders and international businesses and audiences where she advocates for universal access toquality education.
A two-time guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tererai was named by Oprah as her "All-Time Favorite Guest" and received a $1.5 million donation to rebuild her childhood elementary school in recognition of her tenacity and never give up attitude. With the firm belief that education is the pathway out of poverty and a desire to give back to her community, Dr. Trent founded Tererai Trent International.
Changing Lives Through Stationery
kikki.K Founder, Kristina, recently visited Zimbabwe where she saw first-hand the impact our partnership with Dr Tererai Trent is having on their community, and it’s all thanks to the support of our #101millionmreamers community.
Kristina was able to meet some of the students benefiting from this support, and was there for the delivery of kikki.K’s donation of $250,000 worth of stationery to 12 schools in rural Zimbabwe.
The schools who received stationery and accessories were a mixture of primary and secondary schools, and items were distributed and allocated to the schools based on enrolment and using the following guidelines:
- • Backpacks and water bottles were provided to infants
- • Notepads, journals, stickers and pens were given to all school children and teachers
- • Fun Superheroes Are Real Collection packs were given to juniors
- • Study materials were provided to seniors
- • Stationery sets were distributed to school heads and teachers
- • Notebooks, pens and study aids were given to university students
- • Other special items will be utilised for awards and events, such as end-of-year prizes and spelling competitions or quizzes.
Through the incredible support of our #101milliondreamers community and our partnership with Dr Tererai Trent, kikki.K hopes to sustain this support and allow even more children to chase their dreams.
Making University Dreams a Reality
Matau Secondary School in Matau, Zimbabwe is just one of the schools making the education dreams of young women and men a reality due to the work of Dr Tererai Trent. We are so grateful that Tererai has chosen to utilise the donations from kikki.K to help make this a reality.
Thanks to the generous support of our #101milliondreamers, kikki.K has been able to help support the cost of tuition, exams, accommodation and supplies for 10 recent graduates. Among these inspiring students are the first ever female students (seven in total) to graduate from Matau Secondary School and progress their studies at college or university.
Five of these inspiring students have started studying at local Vocational and Technical Colleges, across a range of courses, including Motor Mechanics and Industrial Clothing and Design. Two of the women enrolled in Mupfure College in particular are taking an active role in careers which are typically male dominated in Zimbabwe. Both passed their semester one exams and are now on attachment, working at local smelting company as auto electrician assistants.
Another five students are now studying at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and kikki.K has been able to support them with the cost of tuition and accommodation. Mentors and councillors also supported them in processing their applications as well as transitioning to an urban setting in Harare, providing access to internet and transport, along with registration and orientation.
The UZ students are performing well after their first semester. And the three female students in particular passed their modules and with excellent marks, scoring Distinctions and performing in a university campus theatre production as well as attending several local auditions as they learn and prepare for a successful career in the media industry. All three women have also been involved in various discussions and symposia, contributing significantly by sharing their experiences from a rural perspective on issues affecting the girl child and women. All of them want to be a voice that stands for the rural girl child and to show the world that women and girls are a powerful resource that should not be looked down upon.
Tererai Trent International has also partnered with Women’s Voice Zimbabwe in 2020 to mentor the UZ women. This programme will help them further discover their area of passion, expertise and be able to have all the soft skills required in the media industry today.
Thank you to our #101milliondreamers community for making the education dreams of these students a reality by taking the opportunity to dream with a copy of Kristina Karlsson’s ‘Your Dream Life Starts Here’. USD $1 from the sale of every book is donated directly to Tererai Trent International.
Hear From Some of the Students
