ABOUT PROJECT LOVE
How It Started
Tatenda Dzvokora, Co-Founder of Project Love
His love and passion for giving back was due in part to the community that raised him. In his home country of Zimbabwe, it is not uncommon for kids to walk several miles to school without shoes on their feet. This heart wrenching reality inspired Tatenda and others to host a shoe and clothing drive for the children of his hometown of Plumtree, Zimbabwe. After an overwhelming amount of support for this drive, it became clear there was potential to make a large impact on the less fortunate in the world.
After receiving a scholarship to run Division I track in the United States, I felt the need to give back to the community that raised me.
After receiving a scholarship to run Division I track in North America, I felt the need to give back to the community that had raised me. I had a surplus of shoes from the Track and Field Program at North Dakota State University and I knew many others who did as well. I decided to start with what I had which was an extra three pairs of shoes. Through Fellowship for Christian Athletes (FCA), I shared my initiative with all the athletes on campus. Quickly, I had over 100 pairs of shoes collected with the kids of Zimbabwe! Shortly after reaching that milestone, a good friend, John Ndabunguye, befriended the founder of Samaritan Feet, a non-profit based out of North Carolina. Samaritan Feet generously agreed to match the number of shoes I collected with brand new shoes. All in all, I ended up with over 240 pairs of shoes which we shipped out to my former high school in the summer of 2019.
Earlier this year, in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt the Lord calling me to do another shoe and clothing drive. I fought hard to reject this calling, but God always wins when we wrestle with Him. After weeks of deliberation, I began to understand the Lord’s plan for my life was much bigger than myself. God infused a yearning in me to help the impoverished children of the world, and I could no longer just sit around. So, I quickly called a friend from Zimbabwe and she connected me with an orphanage in the heart of Zimbabwe. I spoke with the founder of the orphanage about their needs and expressed my longing to help these children. Shortly thereafter, the second shoe and clothing drive for the children of Zimbabwe was underway! Through the power of social media and help from friends, the drive picked up momentum in the midst of a global pandemic. I was overwhelmed by the number of friends and their families who were moved to give generously for this shoe and clothing drive. With hundreds of pairs of shoes and garbage bags full of clothes, all that needed to be done was to ship them off. In a little less than two months, I was able to raise over $6,000 on GoFundMe to cover the shipping costs. Only a few weeks later, an orphanage full of needy children received one of the best gifts of their lives. Although giving a pair of shoes may seem like something insignificant to you, when given out of love they have the power to change a child’s life.
This initiative is now moving forward and is recognized as a non-profit organization in the state of North Dakota. We believe, through the will of God, we can bring hope, joy, and peace to children around the world by the simple act of giving.