Amy Montalvo formed a connection with the Chibhira family after a tragic hit and run – Amy launched a fund to keep their eldest son in school.
Johannesburg, South Africa (06 February 2023) – The Chibhira family were left rattled late last year when dad, Jasmael, was hit by a taxi that then fled the scene. He was badly injured but thankfully survived thanks to Good Samaritans that got him to the hospital in time. His injuries meant he couldn’t work and the family fell on hard times.
Mom, Precious, who sells handmade goods from door to door in Johannesburg’s suburbs, became the main breadwinner while Jasmael recovered. This meant the family took a massive knock financially and was only able to cover the basics. School fees didn’t get covered.
Their son, Tinashe was a grade 11 pupil at Curro when the accident happened. His school is a private school and his parents worked very hard to get him there. He started at the school in 2021 and thrived in the private academic environment. Sadly, when the accident happened, Precious had to stop paying the school fees so she could feed the family and keep the roof over their heads instead. Tinashe’s school allowed him to finish his grade 11 year but told the family, he would be unable to return for his final year until his fees were paid in full.
When Amy Montalvo, an American woman living in Johannesburg, heard this, she was determined to help. She met Precious before the accident, after buying several of her handcrafted items. Amy created a “Go Fund Me” page and rallied friends and family, many from the United States, to help get Tinashe back to school. With the fund active and showing progress, the school allowed Tinashe to return.
“I called the school and committed to trying to raise the money to cover the Chibhira family’s debt. I’ve written a letter and shared the GoFundMe link with them, and they agreed to let Tinashe start back to school! So although he’s a few weeks behind, at least he’s back as of last Friday! Although the school agreed, they said that if the debt is not paid soon, they’ll have to ask him to leave, and he won’t be able to finish his final year.”
Her hope is to raise $1,600 (which is nearly R28,000 at today’s rate). So far she has raised nearly R9,000 which goes a long way towards helping keep Tinashe in school.
“So here I am, doing my best to spread the word, and counting on the compassion of amazing people to help support this family in what has been such a dark time. I want to make sure that Tinashe can finish his high school education and have the opportunity to take his next step in life. And I want Precious and Jasmael to not have to constantly worry about their futures and the futures of their 3 other children. They are doing their best, despite their struggles. And I want to do my best for them.
If we get to the goal, we can cover the entire debt and help Tinashe with some of this year’s school fees as well. Precious said that before we spoke, she was getting desperate. She said that anyone who can help, even in a small way, is an absolute God-send. Know that you will be making an incredible difference to a wonderful family.”
If you would like to support the Chibhira family, you can do so via the Go Fund Me here.
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