I love this @sabyasachiofficial saree I wore last night at the @Unicef_southafrica gala. A hand painted bengal tiger blouse that made it so special. @stylebyami
Sindi(3) was very curious about my tattoo.. I told her we r all daddy’s little girls… a lot of these girls are vulnerable to predators who are father figures. Its heartbreaking. But she was just precious. My tail all day. Following me around like lil bo peep. ❤️
This is Mashava, she is 11 years old.. she is the sole caretaker of 4 children..2 siblings and 2 cousins as her parents are dead and her grandmother who was their caretaker had a stroke so is bed ridden. Mashava doesn’t want to go to school anymore because she feels like her dreams r not worth anything as she is a young mother to her family.. if u carefully look at her eyes you will see the blank stare of submission to what her life is and will be. So much strength and bravery. My heart broke. I don’t have words. 🙏🏻 thank you #unicef for all the help you provide these children. Thank you letting me help.
Sarah Sithole or Mbuya(granny) is just 58 years old. Thomas 14(green) wants to grow up and be a driver and Luckmore 17 (stripes) wants to be a mechanic.. Mbuyas daughter left her sons (from teenage pregnancies) in her care because she got married and her husband did not want these kids. Mbuya sells vegetables to send them to school and survive. She was cooking sweet potatoes for lunch and shared them with me.. she hopes her grand sons will look after her in her old age because she has raised 5 children and 7 grandchildren.. and still has backbreaking work to do every day just to survive. Thank you for sharing your home and story with me.. 🙏🏻 @unicef #EndViolence #zimbabwe
After they taught me their dance moves I showed them one of mine.. it’s called the “thumka” #DanceParty #EndViolence #UNICEF #thistimeforafrica #SafePark
Mufasa and I… #jobergdiaries
My start to a beautiful morning before ending an amazingly insightful trip. This is an Isibindi (“courage” in Zulu) Safe Park. The parks and program are all about prevention and early intervention to protect children from the HIV/AIDS crisis and many other vulnerabilities that can lead to violence in South Africa..The volunteer child and youth care workers (CYCW) help create a safe environment for children to play and be counseled in a controlled and protected environment. The National association of child and youth care workers (NACCW) is responsible for training almost 10,000 CYCWs and deliver services to almost 1.4 million children in SA..These workers connect with the children on a personal level, in their homes and in the park, and involve themselves in their daily life events like homework, household chores, and family issues. They use ordinary human interaction to feed these children teach them life skills and take care of the emotional needs of children -especially in child headed and parent less families. I’ve never seen so much commitment on such a personal level. I salute them 🙏🏻
Thank you @modernluxury for 6 beautiful May covers 💛🖤❤️looking forward to celebrating with you tonight in LA! @angelenomagazine @modernluxurysd
@modernluxuryoc @baywatchmovie #BeBaywatch
Big group hug!! Final goodbyes.. so hard letting them go. We had so much fun. #SafePark #UNICEF #EndViolence
So I gave them all a lesson on how to eat sugarcane(ganna)!! Team #UNICEF in Zimbabwe taking a sugarcane break.. it was sooo good! Took me back to Bareilly! @victorchinyama @mbuckanoff @danasupnick @jenn_din and my Zimbabwean friends
Mbali showed me around this amazing Safe Park that gives kids a chance to be kids in a safe environment . She is the Vice Chairman of her park (Freedom Park.) At all of 11! She takes her responsibilities very seriously. Thank u Mbali.
So my hair is apparently very fascinating!! It was so funny being petted!! It lasted a good 10 minutes.. Lol!! We are all beautifully different in so many ways. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you are less.. #EndViolence #unicef #thistimeforafrica #childline @pantene #pantenegirl
Last post for the night! This special girl Nyasha wrote me a song. She had the voice of an angel. Sang it for me too. Raped as a tender Pre teen by her grandfather has dreams of being doctor and an actress. With tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips she sang me her song and said pls don’t forget me. I will not forget u Nyasha. Thank u for showing me that resilience will get u through anything.. u r my inspiration. I asked for her autograph so that when she fulfills her dream I can say I know her..she obliged me #NamasteIndia #EndViolence #unicef #thistimeforafrica … Until tomorrow… stay with me on this journey. Show the world that children all around the world need our attention.
Thank you Mr. Mudada for getting me sugarcane from your garden!! He is a volunteer child care worker who has worked for 30 years in Epworth which is a highly poverty stricken settlement in south east Harare. Thank you for all the incredible work all you care workers do to make the lives of people who are almost forgotten.. better. Inspired. Thank you Jerry Chinodya #UNICEF #EndViolence #thistimeforafrica @ekaco @fabindianews
These are #childline counselors. All volunteers sit 24/7, 365 days a year by these phones so any child who has been abused can call the number 116 to get immediate attention. They get at least a 1000 calls a day by children who report physical or sexual abuse, more than 600,000 calls a day. These numbers are staggering. The abuse of children here is an epidemic. Childline is funded by UNICEF to provide support to the much needed children of Zimbabwe. This an example and a module that a lot more countries should follow so that children have a safe place that they can always reach out to and know that their call will be answered by a compassionate person who will take their complaints seriously and respond. I’m so amazed by the dedication of all the wonderful people working for childline who are volunteers only because they believe all children deserve attention. Thank you for sharing and inspiring 🙏🏼
#just actions speak louder than words!
Hahahah I really was scared! Lol! No pole dancing for me! #UNICEF #SafePark
Throwback to where it all began 10 years ago. My relationship with @unicefindia that lead to me being the global ambassador for #UNICEF..This was a picture from the Deepshikha program that started in india with me and UNICEF years ago about teaching adolescent Indian girls to deal with child marriage, teenage problems and stigma. Thank u #unicef for so many years of field work around the world. For inspiring me to use my platform as a public person to bring light to plight of girls and children around the world. Each child matters. All over the world . 🙏🏼 we can all make a difference. Donate your time. And the resources you may want to donate. Touch the children of the world with compassion. The world is ours and the children of the world are our future. Miss u Geetanjali master @natashapal @mrinster . You were the beginning of my journey❤️
#nofilter such a beautiful city.. so much love and affection. Thank you for hosting me Harare…until next time! Next stop, Johannesburg. @unicef keep up with us…
And my #bindibonding continues.. the kids loved them! #SoPretty #EndViolence #UNICEF
I couldn’t keep this inside me so bear with me for one final post.
If I tried to explain what I’m feeling right now, at the end of what has been an incredible day, I know words will fail me. So I’ll just let the photos speak for themselves and let those beautiful faces with all those emotions shining in their eyes speak to you as they did to me. They made me believe, with every fibre of my being today, that there is good still left in us all and if we make even a little effort, we can somehow start to heal this world we live in. Thank you @unicef and the amazing people of Harare.
Another amazingly inspiring day of field work comes to end in Zimbabwe. Thank you all for being on this journey with me. Tomorrow, bright and early I’m off to Johannesburg, SA for the @Unicef fundraiser. Keep you posted! #ForEveryChild #ThisTimeForAfrica
