Voice of Witness is a nonprofit organization. Right now we need your help.
We currently have a book in progress that will give a platform for dozens of Zimbaweans affected by the long and disastrous reign of Robert Mugabe. Our two editors have just returned from Zimbabwe, where they interviewed dozens of witnesses around the country, and engaged local interviewers to continue the work of collecting eyewitness testimony in a country where freedom of expression is often brutally suppressed.
The problem is that these Voice of Witness books are expensive to produce, and right now we desperately need your help—$9,000 will get us to press on this crucial book of Zimbabwean voices.
If you can donate any sum, no matter how small, click here.
VOICE OF WITNESS NEEDS YOUR HELP
With the help of translators and interviewers in Zimbabwe, many of whom are themselves struggling to survive, Voice of Witness has been collecting powerful stories from men and women disenfranchised by the reign of President Mugabe. Our editors have just returned from Zimbabwe and South Africa. Below are some brief excerpts from their interviews:
“People have for years been intimidated by the political structures here. They would rather keep their families safe, their jobs safe. Voices are not really heard. And now it is harder than ever.”
“I worked as a volunteer during the last election for MDC. This was in the rural area where I am from. I was arrested and then they tortured me. One of the things they did was hit me on my legs with a truncheon. They told me if I made any noise at all, they would hit me harder. The more I screamed the harder they struck.”
“My husband and I lost our jobs a few years ago. Recently we started a business. We sell packaging materials to the restaurants and hotels that are still open. I know it’s strange to start a business at time like this. But what choice did we have? We have three children and no money except for some useless Zim dollars. The alternative was to simply die.”
Right now, we need your help to make this project a reality and provide a platform for these unheard voices. Your donation, no matter the amount, will make a real difference:
$25 will buy a tape recorder for our interviewers.
$50 pays for an interviewer’s transportation and meals for two days.
$100 pays for a translator and transcriber for three interviews.
TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
To thank you for your support, we’re offering gifts this month for the following donation amounts:
$250 or more: A signed set of VOW books (signed by each book’s editors).
$50 — $100: A signed copy of our latest title Out of Exile (signed by Dave Eggers and Craig Walzer).
$25: Voice of Witness T-shirt.
When making your donation, please indicate if you’d like to receive a gift or not by emailing mimi_dot_lok_at_voiceofwitness_dot_com. Also, please indicate whether or not you’d like to be acknowledged on our website.
We are fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which allows us to offer you tax deductions for your contributions.
If you would like to make a secure online donation to Voice of Witness, please visit the Intersection for the Arts donation website. Fill in the donation form, and type “Voice of Witness” in the field labeled “FSP donors only, Name of project.”
CASH/CHECK DONATIONS
Cash and check donations can also be made through our fiscal sponsor, Intersection for the Arts, and are tax-deductible.
Please make checks out to Intersection for the Arts. Be sure to put “Voice of Witness” in the memo line. Send donations to:
Voice of Witness
849 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
Please feel free to email us with any questions.
