Our Story
The Mudeka Foundation was set up as a UK registered charity by Anna Mudeka in 2011. Her dream of setting up a charity started in 2005, with the aim of supporting a small group of orphans living in the township where she grew up.
Anna manages the charity in liaison with the Trustees, together with the Foundation’s co-ordinators. Our Patron Alex Dunlop and accountant Jeremy Walton, who were both born and raised in Zimbabwe, complete the team. The smooth running of fundraising projects relies on the hard work and enthusiasm of a band of volunteers.
In 2008, Anna set up a Norfolk World Music Festival in Southburgh, near Dereham, Norfolk, to bring World Music to rural Norfolk through her Tambai Community Projects programme. The event attracts performers from across the world music scene, and visitors from Norfolk and beyond. Since 2015 the Mudeka Foundation’s trustees and volunteers have run the bar as well as providing breakfast for the on-site campers. These Foundation activities at the festival raise money for the charity.
The Mudeka Foundation became a registered charity.
Anna and the Trustees travelled to Harare, Zimbabwe to meet Jennifer Mudeka who was to become the Mudeka Foundation Coordinator and to visit three schools and 11 sponsored children. Whilst there they visited Muda Community School. This resulted in a commitment to sponsor the education of several orphans and a pledge to replace an unsafe school building.
The Zimbabwe Individual Pupil Sponsorship Programme (ZIPS) was established to help fund the increasing number of pupils being sponsored.
A collaboration between the Mudeka Foundation and School of International Development at the University of East Anglia (UEA) was established to involve students in the work of a small local charity.
Joe Kelly, our first UEA student and current Trustee and Treasurer, visited Zimbabwe to evaluate the work of the Foundation.
Anna Mudeka, Elisabeth and Steve Louis visited Zimbabwe to oversee the progress of the Building Project in Muda.
Trustees, concerned about the serious effects of the drought on the Muda Community Schools, set up a Feeding Programme, funded by sponsored walks by five Norfolk Primary Schools
In order to make it possible for older girls to attend school, the Foundation raised sufficient funds to sponsor the building of a toilet block. This project was started late in 2015 and completed in 2016.
Building work was completed and the new classroom opened in 2015. Since then, pupil enrolment has increased substantially.
The MyPads Scheme was launched to help improve school attendance of girls who were missing school due to a lack of availability of period products.
Donations in memory of Harold Bodmer, a Trustee, were used to fund an assembly area at Rugare Primary School.
DigDeep for Muda was launched, generously funded by donations and the Mason Trust, to fund a borehole and water storage tanks at Muda Community Schools. This was completed in 2019.
Fundraising begins for the ongoing Agricultural Sustainability Programme to support the Muda Community in setting up a kitchen garden and poultry to feed the children.
A short pause for restructuring during the pandemic. Sponsored children were supported as soon as schools reopened.
Tinashe Sherekete joins our team in Zimbabwe