Vince Cable

A former mental health nurse, Rosaline Ndoro, who originates from Zimbabwe and who has lived with her family in Twickenham for many years, launched a new initiative at the House of Commons this week to help children - particularly orphaned children in Zimbabwe - achieve a basic level of education.

Rosaline visited Zimbabwe in 2005 after a gap of 10 years and was appalled by the poverty and despair, particularly around the HIV/AID epidemic and the numerous orphans thereby created. She determined to build a school for the orphans. She was then diagnosed with breast cancer and also lost her long standing partner, Peter, to a heart attack. She has persisted and the Ndoro Children's Charities is now launched and detailed plans for the school have been established.

MP Vincent Cable hosted a reception for the charity in parliament and spoke there in its support. He said: "it is easy to be defeatist about Africa and especially about Zimbabwe which is in desperate straits on account of Mugabe's dictatorship and hyper inflation. But Rosaline and her family are determined to succeed, even in such an appalling situation, and have thought through the practical problems with their friends in Twickenham and elsewhere and the support of their Baptist church. They are making good progress and I want to help them move up a gear."