Meet Shean Mukocheya, please can you support her to take the Journey with Death with us?

I met Shean when I visited Zimbabwe in February and we dreamt together into the future of grassroots care of the dying, dead and bereaved. I was unsure before I went whether Zimbabwe really needed death doulas, after all they still have the village, the community and the connection to customs and traditions that we here in the so-called "west" can only dream of! The reality however is that as Zimbabwe has an unemployment rate of nearly 90% young people are increasingly working away from home and sending money back for their ageing parents care. So there has been a rise in (often unregulated) care homes and the older generations facing their end of life with patchy and inconsistent support. This is why I was so delighted to meet Elijah and Graham at the Kamhandire's Cove hospice village project just outside of Harare and form a working partnership with them (other articles are dedicated to that story).

Shean travelled in for a gathering at Kufunda from Mutare where she lives and works. She shared with me stories of the Shona traditional death rites. Shean runs an incredible project for widows and their children; many of whom become destitute following the death of their husbands. Having been invited back to bring the Journey with Death work to the hospice village at Kamhandire's Cove, I would love to sit alongside Shean as co-facilitator.

And to that end when Shean expressed her deep desire and commitment to join us for the Death Doula retreat in Pembrokeshire in September we at Sacred Circle HQ were delighted! Having Shean attend would be a crucial piece of the puzzle as we join the dots globally for the vision of Earth Hospice and grassroots community care of the dying. So - of course - we are offering Shean a bursary place and will do everything in our power to support her to come. She faces an expensive and tricksy process to get a Visa which we are providing letters and document evidence to support her to get; she needs the costs of airfare and transfers. So we have prepare this crowdfunder to assist her to follow her calling and dream: https://www.zeffy.com/en-GB/donation-form/support-shean-to-take-the-journey-with-death-doula-course

£1500 covers flights and transfers, the cost of accomodation and food (we offer bursary for the course costs) and for the Visa. Any funds raised above £1500 will go to Shean for her work on the ground in Zimbabwe. If you can help in any small way, we thank you deeply.