I’ve traveled all over the world, but my recent journey through Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana hit differently. It was breathtaking, humbling, hilarious in moments, terrifying in others (yes, I fell off a horse), and ultimately transformative in ways I’m still unpacking.

This trip awakened both sides of me:

Renée the traveler, rooted in Caribbean heritage and deeply connected to the African diaspora…
and Renée the founder of Red Hills Consulting, forever thinking about equity, opportunity, systems, and the people whose lives are shaped by them.

Southern Africa gave me beauty and adventure.
But it also handed me truths that global leaders, policymakers, and mission-driven organizations cannot afford to ignore.

But before we get to the lessons — let’s talk about the adventure.
Because this trip was epic.

🔥 Adventure Highlights (In No Particular Order Because My Trip Was Chaos Meets Magic)

Traveling through Southern Africa handed me every emotion on the spectrum — awe, humility, fear, joy, wonder, laughter, and plenty of “this would only happen to me” moments.

These are just a few of the many unforgettable highlights:

🏨 A Warm Zimbabwe Welcome at Insika Lodge

Our home base in Zimbabwe was Insika Lodge, a serene, intimate retreat that set the perfect tone for the journey. Cozy, beautiful, rooted in the landscape, and run by people whose hospitality made the experience feel deeply personal.

Small group.
Private guides.
A slow, intentional pace.
It felt like we were exactly where we were meant to be.

🐎 The Horseback Safari Plot Twist

Ah yes… the infamous fall.

My horse was already antsy. Hyenas were nearby. I politely suggested we not stop. Life said, “Girl, please.”

He bucked.
I flew.
Gravity did its job.

I walked away with bruises, gratitude, and a whole new respect for horses with attitude. Thankfully, my guide arranged a 90-minute full body massage back at the lodge — the kind of healing I didn’t know I needed until every muscle started talking. And for that, I was deeply grateful.

🌅 Peace on the Zambezi

A few hours later, I found healing on a peaceful dinner cruise along the Zambezi River.
The contrast was poetic.

Elephants wading.
Hippos bobbing in and out of the water.
A sunset so gorgeous the sky felt suspended in prayer.

It turned a chaotic morning into a restorative night.

🍽 Dinner at Chef Vee’s Home

One of the most intimate moments of the trip was being welcomed into Chef Vee’s home to cook and enjoy a traditional Zimbabwean meal.

It wasn’t a performance.
It was community.
It was culture.
It was connection.

We chopped, stirred, laughed, learned, and shared stories around the table — including me proudly preparing a delicious salad for the group… that we completely forgot to take out of the fridge. We remembered it way too late, but honestly? We were so focused on the meal, the conversation, and the moment that none of us missed it until the laughs came after.

A true highlight — salad or no salad. 😄

💦 Devil’s Pool — Living Life on the Very Edge

Imagine floating at the literal edge of Victoria Falls, holding onto rocks that separate you from one of the world’s largest waterfalls.

That’s Devil’s Pool.

Equal parts terror and adrenaline.
The kind of experience that makes you question your choices and then thank yourself for making them anyway.

🌍 Victoria Falls & Chobe National Park

Victoria Falls humbled me with its force and beauty.
Chobe stunned me with its abundance — elephants everywhere, lions, and giraffes casually strolling by, nature showing off effortlessly.

Every moment felt sacred.

🦛 The Hippo Encounter at Chobe

Chobe delivered more than breathtaking views — it delivered surprises.
During our water safari, a hippo suddenly charged toward our boat, and we sped away fast.

A wild, unforgettable moment — and yes, it’s all on video.

🛫 Traveling with Black & Abroad

We were among the very first small groups to experience this new tri-country itinerary with Black & Abroad — Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana.

And it was exactly my style:

intentional
intimate
culturally rooted
flexible
community-focused

I’ve traveled with Black & Abroad before — to Tanzania and Zanzibar a couple of years ago — and that journey was equally transformational. There’s something powerful about exploring the continent through a lens that honors history, culture, and the diaspora.

A huge shout-out to our guide, Habeeb, and our driver, Anthony — the real MVPs of this journey. Their care, knowledge, humor, and attention to detail took this experience from memorable to unforgettable. They made us feel safe, supported, and fully immersed every step of the way. Absolute rockstars.

With this recent journey, I’ve now traveled to nine African countries — and every single time, the continent shifts something in me in ways I can’t fully put into words. And the count won’t stop here; there are several more on my list.

💛 The Emotional Undercurrent: A Journey Rooted in Healing & Heritage

Before boarding my flight, I wrote about how the last time I was on the continent — in Rwanda — I received news of my father’s passing. That moment forever tied Africa to grief, love, and transformation for me.

This time, I returned with peace, openness, and my father’s memory tucked beside me.
The sunsets felt spiritual.
The land felt welcoming.
The journey felt necessary.

With my extended family in Jamaica recovering from Hurricane Melissa, I carried them with me too — their resilience, their strength, their hope.

This trip reminded me how interconnected we all are across the diaspora.

💔 The Reality Beneath the Adventure: Zimbabwe’s Untold Truth

Beyond the beauty and hospitality, Zimbabwe revealed something deeper — not through formal interviews or chance encounters, but through the stories shared by our personal driver and local guides who spoke candidly about the realities their families, friends, and communities face every day.

Zimbabwe is full of brilliant, educated, capable people who cannot find work.

Teachers.
Engineers.
Business graduates.
Doctors.

People who earned degrees, built skills, and did everything society told them to do — yet still find themselves with no stable path to opportunity.

Many cross the border into Zambia or Botswana for temporary or informal work, and some even make the longer journey to South Africa in search of more stable opportunities.
Others, equally skilled, survive by selling fruit, crafts, or souvenirs to tourists — not because it’s their calling, but because survival demands it.

And while Zimbabwe’s situation is unique in many ways, this reality is not — many developing nations face similar patterns of underemployment, economic strain, and talent forced into survival-mode work.

It is heartbreaking.
It is systemic.
And it is not a reflection of their ambition — it is a reflection of the economic environment they’re navigating.

📉 Tourism Helps… But Currency Instability Hurts

Zimbabwe should be a tourism powerhouse.
And in many ways, it is — the attractions are world-class.

But here’s the economic reality:

1. Tourism dollars leak out of the system.

Because of currency instability:

USD is hoarded
inflation wipes out value
reinvestment is limited
wage gains evaporate quickly

It’s hard for communities to get ahead when the economic ground is constantly shifting.

2. Tourism becomes relief — not transformation.

Without broader policy and currency reforms, tourism can’t create the long-term, equitable growth it should.

Then I Returned Home… and Saw Familiar Patterns

Coming back to the U.S., I couldn’t ignore the parallels:

DEI rollbacks
layoffs hitting marginalized groups
shrinking economic mobility
talented people doing everything “right” yet struggling to advance

Different continent.
Different systems.
But the same underlying truth:

When opportunity collapses, inequity grows — everywhere.

Harare. Harlem. Lusaka. Los Angeles.
The patterns are interconnected.

🔴 What This Journey Reaffirmed for Red Hills Consulting Group

This trip reinforced why Red Hills exists.

1. Transformation must be human-centered.

Strategy without humanity is ineffective.

2. Equity is global. And fragile.

Without intention, systems exclude.

3. Economic mobility changes everything.

Where opportunity expands, communities thrive.

4. Our work matters — more than ever.

We partner with organizations committed to:

empowering marginalized communities
creating equitable pathways
centering people in strategy
building systems of opportunity

This trip sharpened that purpose.

💬 Final Reflection: The Motherland, My Mission & What Comes Next

Southern Africa gave me joy, healing, courage, perspective, and clarity.
It reminded me of the beauty of our diaspora and the urgency of our work.

Talent is universal.
Opportunity is not.
And until it is, Red Hills will keep pushing.

Here’s to honoring our roots.
Here’s to global connection.
Here’s to doing good work — wherever the journey takes us next.

About Renée
Renée Jones is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Red Hills Consulting Group, where she leads strategic, operational, and transformational initiatives for Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations. With more than 20 years of experience leading complex initiatives, Renée helps organizations turn bold ideas into lasting impact. Outside of work, she mentors emerging leaders and champions social-impact innovation. https://redhillsconsultinggroup.com

May 28, 2025

Written by Renée Jones, TDS Board Member

In rural Tanzania, education can be a lifeline—but for most girls, it’s a path strewn with obstacles. In the Mara region, a large percentage of girls do not complete secondary school, despite strong evidence that education leads to better health, economic stability, and brighter futures for entire communities.

At Tanzania Development Support (TDS), we believe that every girl deserves the chance to stay in school and thrive. Through our work in the region—especially via the Rose and Karl Willmann Scholarship Fund—we’ve seen firsthand how much potential lies within these young women, and how much is at stake if they’re forced to drop out.

This is more than an education crisis. It’s a matter of equity, opportunity, and generational transformation.

Poverty: When Education Is a Luxury

Even in public schools, education is not free. Uniforms, books, meals, sanitary supplies, and boarding fees add up quickly. For families already struggling to make ends meet, the choice is often between feeding the family and sending a daughter to school. In many cases, boys are prioritized for education while girls are expected to help at home or generate income. Education becomes a luxury—not a right.

TDS works to change that narrative. Through the Willmann Scholarship Fund, we remove these financial barriers. The scholarship covers everything a student needs—from tuition and uniforms to housing and meals—so that she can focus on learning and thriving.

As one student wrote:

“My good academic performance has been influenced by the presence of good environment for studying and peace of staying in school without returned home to take the school fees.”

By becoming a contributor to the Willmann Scholarship Fund, you are helping change the future for dozens of gifted girls in the Mara. A full scholarship is $900 annually and covers all the expenses for a girl to attend Nyegina Secondary School. A monthly donation of $75 is an affordable way to sponsor a girl. Consider changing the life of a girl and her future family by becoming a sponsor today.

The road between Nyegina and Mkirira is about 12km across rolling hills. Until the recent completion of a new public secondary school in Nyegina, students would make the walk twice a day to attend secondary school in Mkirira.

Distance: When the Journey to School Is Too Far

In rural areas, many girls walk 5 to 10 kilometers each way to reach school. These long, exhausting commutes—often before sunrise and on empty stomachs—are physically dangerous and emotionally draining. Safety is a serious concern. Parents may pull girls out of school to protect them, especially as they approach adolescence.

That’s why TDS has supported the construction of a dormitory, allowing 160 girls to live where they learn at Nyegina Secondary School. This drastically reduces their risk, fatigue, and dropout rates, creating a more supportive learning environment.

As one scholarship recipient shared:

“I have peace because I am not walking many miles every day to go to school. I am in boarding and I have enough time to study and learn many things from teachers and my fellow students because we are coming from different tribes.”

Tradition: When Culture Clashes with Opportunity

Deeply rooted social norms often dictate that a girl’s primary role is to marry young, care for siblings, and support her household—not to pursue education. Girls are taught to stay quiet, stay close, and stay home.

But we know that when girls stay in school, they gain confidence, earn more over their lifetimes, delay early marriage, and make informed decisions about their health and future.

Through programs like Reading Circles and 4H Career Pathways, TDS helps girls reimagine what’s possible. These spaces introduce them to new ideas, new skills, and new futures—beyond what tradition may have taught them.

“My dream is to be a nurse and my subjects I like is chemistry, Geography and Biology. I study hard in order to fulfill my dream. Apart from that I wish to be a big trader in Tanzania and outside of Tanzania also to support and help People with basic needs like poor girls, disabled, and other groups as the way you, did to me am continue to thank for your kindness. Now I am writing this message by using computer of Madaraka Nyerere Resource Center and I am learning computer studies.”

“Through your support you have created a good bridge for my future.”

The Ripple Effect of Education

The challenges are real—but so is the potential. When one girl is educated, her whole community benefits. She becomes an advocate, a wage-earner, a mentor, a mother who insists her children—daughters and sons—go to school.

I think often of the girls in the Willmann Scholarship Program, many of whom write us to share their goals of becoming teachers, doctors, engineers, or community leaders. They are determined. They are bright. They are ready. We just need to help them stay the course.

As several girls have said:

“Through this chance you gave me, it enabled me to study at good environment where there are all resources and I wish through this I will get great success in my form four national exams.”

“Also I am the only one who has got this secondary education in my family. So, after getting this opportunity my family was very happy and they know that one day I will be a good and a great person in my life.”

“It’s a very big sacrifice that you’ve made because paying such a lot of money for someone that you don’t know and you never meet needs a person with heart of helping. If could not be you I could not be here I am. I’ve studied from form one up to form four without being returned at home for failing to pay school fee. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.”

As a sponsor, I’ve experienced firsthand how rewarding it is to support a Willmann Scholar. I’ve had the privilege of sponsoring a bright and determined student in secondary school. Reading her letters, learning about her goals, and seeing her progress has been deeply moving. I hope to meet her one day soon and witness the impact of this opportunity in her life.

Here’s How You Can Help

Sponsor a Willmann Scholar and provide full support for her education journey
Share this story to raise awareness of the barriers—and the breakthroughs
Donate to our programs to expand access and impact across the region

Because when girls learn, communities rise. And when we invest in their futures, we’re investing in our shared humanity. Let’s remove the barriers. Let’s open the doors. Let’s walk beside these girls as they pursue the futures they deserve.

Click Here to Support a Scholarship