Chido Govera

“I believe that everyone has a story,” Chido Govera has stated. Her own remarkable life demonstrates how a story of hardship can be transformed into one of innovation, compassion, and success. Govera’s begins with a brave child from a village near Mutare, Zimbabwe, quitting school at age nine to provide for her family after losing her mother to AIDS in 1993. Three years later, she was among the first participants in a mushroom-cultivation training program at Africa University in Mutare, beginning a farming practice soon thereafter. By age 16, Govera was making enough money selling mushrooms to feed and care for her family. Since then, she has dedicated her life to teaching others to cultivate mushrooms, working with orphans, single mothers, destitute individuals, and villages to demonstrate that everyone can and must contribute to the betterment of their own circumstances. Today, Chido is committed to teaching mushroom cultivation to struggling communities in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, India, Colombia, the Congo, and elsewhere.

Why we love Chido Govera:

• Govera began mushroom farming at the age of 11 having been orphaned at age 8 in Mutare, Zimbabwe. By age 16 she was using her profits from mushroom cultivation to single-handedly provide for her grandmother and send her brothers to school

• Her amazing story has inspired communities in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, India, Colombia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to grow mushrooms as a sustainable means of providing food and income

• Her method of growing mushroom both provides sustenance and reduces waste, as she cultivates mushrooms using leftover coffee grinds from cafes around the world