About Us

We are a Hwange-based non-profit, founded in 2020 to support vulnerable girls from unfavorable socioeconomic backgrounds. Hwange is a small town in North-West Zimbabwe with coal mining as the main economic activity for the locals.

Most girls in Hwange are doomed to a future of hardship and poverty as they face challenges that include teenage pregnancies, child marriages, and dropping out of school due to financial constraints. The girl child is often encouraged towards early marriage or forced to turn to sex work in the streets due to the high volume of truckers going in and out of the town for coal. Resultantly girls in Hwange face health risks and have limited decision-making power and opportunities.

Luwie Foundation seeks to empower these girls with education, knowledge, and skills to make informed choices about their futures and be catalysts for community development and social transformation.  



- Melisa Bhebe

Founder

Our Mission

Empowering marginalized girls in Zimbabwe, to forge a poverty-free future through holistic support and education.

Our Vision

Empowering Zimbabwe’s vulnerable girls through education, equipping them with essential skills for community impact.

Aim: Sponsor 50 girls, fostering academic, leadership, and career success by 2030

Impact To Date

Scholarships

Received mentorship, career guidance and sexual and reproductive health education

Meet Our Team

Our passionate and dedicated team of educators, mentors, and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that every girl we support receives the best possible education and guidance, fostering a brighter future for themselves and their communities.

Dr. Melisa Bhebe

Founder/Executive Director

Dr Melisa Bhebe holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree from the National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe. She is driven to live a life larger than herself, contributing to social change and community transformation through her profession and social entrepreneurship. 

She founded Lwisani Uplifting Women in Education Foundation in 2020 in memory of her mother who was a high school teacher and mentor to many girls for nearly 20 years. Growing up in Hwange, Melisa understands first-hand the experiences of the girl child in her community. She lived in a village where it was inconceivable that she was in university training to become a doctor. Resultantly, she was driven to build an organization that empowers girls to dream big, think critically about the needs of the community through sowing seeds of social justice and change, and be the representation needed for these girls to envision themselves in careers and spaces thought to be unattainable. Melisa envisages supporting up to 50 girls by 2030 to complete their secondary education. She is an alumnus of the Wells Mountain Initiative scholarship where she served on 2 prestigious boards in the organisation: Global Advisory Board and the Scholar Review Board. 

Melisa is currently working towards becoming a public health specialist at the University of Cape Town as a Mandela Rhodes Foundation scholar. She is involved in leadership, health advocacy, policy-making, and research in African populations to curate contextualized solutions for African health problems using relevant evidence. She currently advocates for the equitable health of underserved populations in her country. She believes that young Africans have the power to bring all the social change they want to see, and it begins with an individual decision to be part of that change.

 

 

Thabo Dube

Program Development, Monitoring and Evaluation

Thabo is a Development Studies major who is passionate about the role of the Youth in Politics and Governance through Civic Engagement. He is a co-founder and Technical Director of YIELD Trust, a youth-led and focused not-for-profit organization working to start and sustain the type of conversations and initiatives that shape the youths for the future, from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. 

As an avid debater, he has spoken at various levels and believes that young people need to have critical thinking skills for them to be able to activate their civic agency. He is also a Socio-Economic Justice activist, Podcaster, and Constitutional literacy advocate. A Development Studies major from Lupane State University and the National University of Science and Technology – he previously worked for an organization and program that seeks to promote Adolescent Girls and Young Women and empower them to make positive health decisions, he is focusing his energies on YIELD work, and supporting other like-minded youth organizations develop their organizational capacity. He is passionate about Youth engagement, Public Policy, and Evaluation.

 

 

Martha Bean

Finance Coordinator

Martha’s wish is for this scholarship program to offer the young girls from Hwange, Zimbabwe, a unique opportunity to pursue a high school education which will enable them to better achieve their goals and to fulfill their dreams. 

Midred Luphahla

Scholarship and Students Coordinator

Born and bred in Hwange, Mildred is close to the vision and mission of the organization. She stands as an inspiration for young girls, helping them aim for greatness regardless of their circumstances. She is motivated to contribute to this organization as it offers opportunities to give back to the community that raised her and she believes charity begins at home.



Education is not just a journey; it’s the compass that guides us toward a brighter, more equitable world.

-Dr. Melisa Bhebe

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