Each year, the Thurman Award, established in honor of HOPE’s first CEO and his wife, recognizes a client who demonstrates HOPE’s values of perseverance, compassion, strength of character, and creativity. This year we are pleased to celebrate John Njerere, a client from HOPE’s savings program in Zimbabwe, where we have partnered with Acta Non Verba Zimbabwe and Central Baptist Church since 2011. Watch John describe how the holistic training he received helped him move from beggar to provider and read his full story below.

In the ‘80s, John Njerere worked as an undersecretary in Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Higher Education. A promising up-and-comer, he quickly rose through the ranks, attaining in only nine months a position normally reserved for those with over a decade’s experience. But his success came at great cost: As the pressures mounted, John had a breakdown and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Because of the stigma attached to psychiatric problems in Africa, he lost all formal employment, and a man accustomed to high rank and great responsibility was forced to beg for his income. Although his wife traveled to South Africa seeking work, their family hovered on the brink of starvation. Continue Reading…