Divine Mahara Chitubura, a Zimbabwean singer living in South Africa, got the surprise of a lifetime when Jason Mraz donated towards his family’s cause.
Zimbabwe (06 June 2022) – Divine Mahara Chitubura, a 28-year-old singer and songwriter, was blown away when he learned that Jason Mraz donated a substantial amount towards his father’s dying wish.
Living in the Western Cape, Divine returned home to his family farm in Zimbabwe after the death of his father. The family farm needs a lot of work, and it was Divine’s father’s wish that he make the farm sustainable. The hope is to create a livable environment to benefit his siblings’ Prayer (25), Tendai (22), Rutendo (15) and Shalom as well as his wider local community.
“My dad first acquired our farm in 2010, and in the last 12 years, it has been home to many people— passers-by in need of shelter and many children my parents took in when we were all children,”
“Both my late mom and dad worked harder than I’ve known anyone to work, right here on this farm. In its prime, it had hectares of crops and many animals including cattle, goats, chicken and pigs.” – says Divine
Progress on the farm stalled when Divine’s mom passed away 9-years-ago. The family were left in a long-term depression.
“Our farm has no water supply, no functioning plumbing system, and is missing many more necessities. There is also virtually no internet connectivity in the area, making things even more challenging.” – says Divine
To help realise his father’s dream, Divine launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy with a fundraising target of R375 000, appealing for community support in the form of donations.
To Divine’s delight, his ‘Water and Wifi’ campaign has raised over R66 000, with generous contributions from 26 donors, including one of his heroes, Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter Jason Mraz, who wrote a warm message of support:
“Your mission is noble and inspiring. I wish you luck and wellness on this journey. I hope I might come to visit you on this farm someday.” – Jason Mraz
Being a singer/songwriter himself, the message and donation from the Hollywood star have been a massive boost towards his drive.
“Jason Mraz’s song inspires me through this journey.. he sings ‘Look for the good in everything and that is what I am doing. As one of my greater role models, having him donate to this cause is incredibly encouraging. It motivates me to do more just as he is (he too has a farm!)” – says Divine
With funds raised, Divine says, the farm will not only be able to create work opportunities for locals, but it will also become a supplier of healthy, organic produce to the local towns and villages and ultimately provide reliable internet connectivity for the entire community.
“My hope is that all that my parents worked for, will not be in vain and that we will continue to grow the seeds and multiply. We will collectively take it forward in the way I know they wanted to themselves. I am in awe of the impact BackaBuddy and all the wonderful donations are making in our lives.” – says Divine
You can check out Divine’s cause here.
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