The Elias Fund is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization funding

community development The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists ...

and

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

for

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

an youth.

Overview

The Elias Fund began with a simple purpose - help one man raise his children. Today EF empowers Zimbabwean communities to build a promising future for their children through poverty alleviation. As a grassroots organization, the Elias Fund focuses on indigenous empowerment to alleviate poverty from the bottom-up.

Mission statement

The Elias Fund's mission statement is: "Spreading hope and opportunity in Zimbabwe through indigenous empowerment, and engaging the current youth culture of the United States by encouraging a positive identity centered on social justice."

History

In 1994, Elias Sithole, a gardener in Zimbabwe, met American songwriter

Chad Urmston Chad (Chadwick) Stokes Urmston (born February 26, 1976) is an American musician and a human rights activist. He is the frontman for the Boston-area bands Dispatch and State Radio, and released solo music under the name Chadwick Stokes. Early ...

. Elias shared his dream of one day helping his three sons with a university education. This dream was put to song and became a popular piece with Urmston's band Dispatch. After the band broke up in 2004, brothers Eric and Scott Byington were approached to fundraise for a small initiative to sponsor Elias’ sons’ education. A successful fundraiser was hosted in the summer of 2005 with enough money being raised for all three of Elias’ sons. Eric and Scott, along with a team of four others, took off to Zimbabwe to go find Elias. While they were gone, over 1,200 young people signed-up to do something more for Zimbabwe even though nothing more had been planned or publicized. It became apparent to Eric and Scott that what had started as a single fundraiser for one man's family could be turned into a full-time organization for Zimbabwe's development. And so with the fan-base of Dispatch in support, Eric and Scott turned their relationship with Elias into the organization the Elias Fund is today. EF is now operating in three specific communities providing support to indigenous organizations focused on education, food aid and micro-grants. From one man's dream has sprung a movement spreading hope and opportunity in Zimbabwe.

References

External links

Official websiteElias Fund
on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

Elias Fund
at MySpace {{Dispatch Charities based in Massachusetts Foreign charities operating in Zimbabwe Education in Zimbabwe Development charities based in the United States Organizations established in 2005 2005 establishments in Massachusetts