Lonesome Kudzaishe Tapiwa (Zimbabwe)

Lonesome is a monitoring and evaluation officer for Amplifying Girls' Voices Through Digital Arts from Zimbabwe. Lonesome has experience helping young people discover their potential and refining their skills through training by experts, and capacity-building workshops. Lonesome hopes to broaden his viewpoint and enable him to better understand the issues in his community and how to address them. During his CEE practicum, Lonesome hopes to improve his leadership abilities and learn how to use new media and digital technologies for social change and community development. Lonesome also hopes to gain skills to support his organization called Project Impact, which seeks to build life skills for orphans and vulnerable children through theater and participatory learning in action.

“In 2023 I was fortunate to be chosen from over 7000 young change leaders around the world. I was among 142 dedicated individuals who were selected for a special program in America, called the community engagement exchange program. For 3 months, I worked with a non-profit theater organization called Hand2Mouth. While I was there, I met a friend from Colombia, Natalia Arroyave, who became a very close friend and was also working for Hand2Mouth. Together, we created a unique theater performance that combined movement and storytelling. We called it “An Encounter of Cultures”

During my time in Portland with the CEE program, I had a heartfelt journey filled with unexpected joy and beautiful memories. Initially, I was a bit anxious about being placed with an art organization, as I felt I had already spent over eight years as an artist. I thought my path should lead me to developmental work with larger organizations like the United Nations, especially after studying social work and child protection in university. However, the universe had other plans for me. When I found myself working with an art organization in Portland, I decided to embrace this opportunity wholeheartedly. I humbled myself, eager to learn and grow.

I am truly grateful for the warmth and support I received from the H2M team, who went above and beyond to help me feel welcome. My host family played a significant role, making sure I felt at home in this new city. Some of my fondest memories include working with young theater artists during summer camps and participating in retreats with the organization. These experiences allowed me to connect with wonderful people, like Mary and Bob Holmstrom, Charles Grant, Connor Castagnero, Giacomo Ranieri, Sydney Yelton and my friend Emmanuel who works at the Safeway supermarket, as well as friends from Saudi Arabia, Moldova, Japan, and Ecuador, with whom I still keep in touch today. My time in Portland has opened countless doors for me, and I cherish the sweet memories and lasting friendships I made there, including the incredible opportunity for (H2M’s International Programs Director) Jonathan to visit my home country of Zimbabwe.”

Learn, Follow and Connect:

Email: tapiwalonesome@gmail.com

Website: https://www.projektimpact.org/

Lonesome was placed with Hand2Mouth Theatre as part of the Spring 2023 Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by IREX.