Zimele USA

Zimele USA, an affiliate of Zimele, is an organization that confronts the root causes of poverty by removing the barriers to self-sufficiency for women in the impoverished and often AIDS-stricken communities of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. Zimele spearheads programs to provide economic, educational and social resources such as financial management, job skills and life-skills classes. Since its founding in 2007, Zimele has empowered over 6,000 women to become small-scale entrepreneurs who sustain independent livelihoods that not only benefit their families, but also their communities. These Zulu women have inspired other women, men and children to break historical cycles of poverty and dependence on charity to take ownership of their own futures.