Kathy Brent
Kathy, or Auntie Kathy as she is known in the workshop, joined Gogo Olive in 2019 and already we can’t imagine life without her! She is our Administrator and deals with everything accounting related – this is quite a mammoth task in Zimbabwe with our ever changing rates, currencies etc etc! She also gets roped in to do all sorts of other jobs that certainly aren’t in her job description but she does them very willingly – this makes her a massive support to me! Kathy is wise and fun – two excellent qualities for Gogo Olive! She doesn’t take any nonsense but is very caring towards the ladies so she is the perfect addition to the Gogo Olive team.
What makes you happy
Spending time with family and friends and going on adventures and picnics – we call it “adventure before dementia” and it’s very therapeutic, with what we have to deal with in Zimbabwe at this particular time. The real sense of community and support we have in Zimbabwe is rarely found elsewhere, and I also have a lot of love for the beautiful bush, wildlife and birdlife. My grandchildren fill me with joy and pride, our oldest granddaughter has Downs Syndrome and she astounds me with her sporting abilities all the time!
Favourite Things about Gogo Olive
I absolutely love the whole concept of creating income generating opportunities for our ladies, instead of just throwing money (in the form of Aid) at the problem! I have found it so fulfilling and often fun, watching the ladies enjoying their days, grateful that they can afford to help their families and it’s humbling to see how excited they get about things that people in the First World take for granted. Their relationships with each other are wonderful to witness!
Nickname
I’ll have to ask the ladies, who call me “Auntie” to my face, but I bet they call me something else behind my back like “Mataku” which means big bum!
ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SAY
I am in awe of Julie who started this project, a young girl in her 20s at the time, straight out from the Orkney Islands to Zimbabwe, who had the vision and call of God in her life. She has stuck with it for over 10 years, that in itself is admirable – she started out as our “surrogate daughter” and has ended up as my boss!!