Mountain Vista’s National Honors Society is working closely with an orphanage in Zimbabwe to improve the quality of the lives of kids there. So far, they have raised enough money to purchase a van which will transport the children to school. The officers plan to travel to Zimbabwe to work directly with the children at the Roses of Charity Orphanage.

National Honors Society officers Jack Nelson, Emily Albi, Alec Yagey and Sedak Puri, hope to spend one week at the orphanage and two more at the Nakavango Conservation Reserve to help with anti-poaching efforts.

Albi and Nelson first got inspired to travel to Zimbabwe when they saw a picture of the orphans.

“I wasn’t satisfied seeing a picture on an iPhone of the kids,” Albi said, “I had to go and see them.”

The two plan to spend a week building relationships and acting as positive mentors for the children.

“We want to make a difference to those kids who have lived in hardship for their whole lives,” Nelson said.

Many Americans (and Highlands Ranch specifically) often do not realize how fortunate they are.

“We take for granted a lot of basic things these kids don’t have,” Albi said.

With time, effort and donations, National Honors Society is working to provide them with these essentials.

The trip costs $5,000 per person ($20,000 total). The officers have created a GoFundMe and hope more people in the community choose to donate.

“It’s an opportunity to know exactly what their money is going to, and the guarantee it will make an extreme impact on the kids and environment,” Albi said.