Tennis legend Navratilova to raise US$100 000 for Mutoko AIDS orphanage

By Lance Guma
26 January 2007

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova will take part in a tournament over the weekend to raise US$100 000 for the Mother of Peace AIDs orphanage in Mutoko. The tournament set for Florida in the United States is under the theme, ‘Tearing Down Walls and Building Hope.’ Tickets for the event are already sold out. Navratilova is going to assist the orphanage run by Jean Cornneck, affectionately known as Mamma Jean. The home looks after 200 children whose parents died of HIV/AIDs related illnesses.

Rev. Cindi Love who leads the Metropolitan Community Church in its worldwide outreach programmes said the orphanage was a model for recovery efforts because it was a ‘self-sustaining community.’ Love is a friend of Navratilova and was instrumental in convincing the tennis star to support the orphanage. Love’s son Joshua has also worked with Mamma Jean in the past and knew about the project.

Navratilova is said to have been enthusiastic about supporting the home because it was, ‘small, manageable, focused and empowering,’ but the economic turmoil in the country is said to have severely affected its operations. Rev. Love however expressed concern the Mugabe regime might try to block the donation adding, ‘"we have to hand-carry this money to them to make sure they get it. Mugabe will not allow any of Gates Foundation money or other funds targeted for AIDS relief to come in. The dictator does not want these people to live." She told journalists that she will travel to Zimbabwe in late March to hand over the money.

The orphanage has a garden, bakery and a dam in which fish are bred to provide food for the children and surrounding villagers. The home trades commodities it produces for those it cannot. Rev. Love stressed the point that because Zimbabwe had barred foreign media from the country, other parts of Africa more open to the media had more access to AIDS relief efforts. This she says is the reason for getting a high profile celebrity like Navratilova to help out.