Today, I’d like to share a short post celebrating the marriage of Tariro’s board president, Easther Chigumira, to Munyaradzi Chiura. On September 22nd, the couple was joined in marriage during a beautiful ceremony held in Harare, which was attended by family and friends from around the world. Reflecting Easther’s commitment to Tariro’s work, guests at the ceremony included two women who have also served on Tariro’s board, Janis Weeks and Marilyn Mohr, and who flew all the way from Eugene, Oregon to attend the wedding. Joined by Cosmas Magaya, a traditional musician deeply involved with our work in Zimbabwe, Janis performed on the mbira dzavadzimu at the reception following the service, and Marilyn made the beautiful flower arrangements for the wedding and reception.
In an especially lovely gesture, Easther also asked Tariro students to make small, embroidered bags as wedding favors. Each of the embroidered bags was accompanied by a printed tag featuring Tariro’s logo, letting guests know about our work. Joined by our librarian, Senzeni, two of the more advanced members of our embroidery club participated in this project, and their work brightened the table arrangements greeting guests at the reception.
Although Easther’s request was “in-house,” it represents the first time that our embroidery students have put their skills to work for a specially commissioned project, outside of the panels we have been selling in the United States to fundraise for their school fees. With the payment they received for their work, the two students who did the wedding favors are considering investing in a small income-generating project, such as buying a machine to press peanut butter.
Easther and Munya, congratulations on your wedding! We wish you many happy years together, and we’re glad that Tariro could contribute to your beautiful, special day!