When Sawman Machakaire was growing up in Zimbabwe the unthinkable happened.
Losing his parents at 10 years old, he was taken in by his grandmother and struggled to obtain an education due to the expensive price his grandmother couldn’t afford. As Sawman’s dreams of receiving an education were dwindling, a miracle landed in his lap. Plan International, a foundation created to promote quality education and advance children’s rights, picked Sawman in a random lottery to be one of the children sponsored by the organization to attend school.
When the foundation chose him to receive a fully funded education, Sawman said he felt, “fortunate enough that they picked me and that really changed my life.” He took the opportunity seriously and excelled in his studies to the point where more “opportunities were opened up” for him and he had enough education to advance out of poverty as he grew into adulthood.
When Sawman later married his wife, Mary, one of the first things they discussed was how one day they would open up a foundation to help other children have the same opportunities that were given to him. “If I didn’t have this organization come into my life I know where my life would be because I know some of those kids that have stayed in those villages. They never had the opportunity that I had and I want to share that gift,” Sawman said.
The Global Youth Development Empowerment Trust was designed from the ground up by Sawman and his wife with the vision of giving children in need better access to education in order to unlock their full potential.
