About Us
We are Miranda, Tom and Sheri Lynch of Atlanta, Georgia, founders of Isipho.
Hi. I’m Miranda. I’m now a 14-year-old high school freshman. I wasn’t sure what to expect when my dad told me we were going to spend one of our weeks in South Africa living and working in a small rural Zulu village. When we drove up to Nzinga and the Zuma family’s small mud huts I was shocked and overwhelmed, and I was sure I would never make it a week. But two little eyes met mine and two-year-old Amahle and I bonded almost instantly. By the time we left I knew that could not be the end of our work in Nzinga. I didn’t know how, but I knew I had to be a continuing part of making their lives better. When we decided to form Isipho, I didn’t know how to run a non-profit, but I knew what was needed in Nzinga, and I knew I would do whatever was necessary to make it happen. I’m learning a lot. And I’m keeping our focus where it should be; on Amahle and the other children and families of Nzinga.
(L-R) Miranda, Nonjabulo, Amahle, Tom, Nontobako Zuma
I’m Tom. I’m a marketing executive in Atlanta. When I bid on the vacation to South Africa at a fund-raising auction, I knew an experience like that had the chance to be life-changing for Miranda, and I worked hard to make sure we both had the opportunity to really understand how different so many millions of lives are from the rather privileged life we lead. I’ll admit that I had no idea what life in a poor rural African village is really like, as no one can from just reading about it and watching TV. When I saw how our time in Nzinga effected Miranda, and how determined she was to make a continuing difference, I knew I had to take on the extra task of working nights and weekends to help her make this happen. But I also knew we would need help, and luckily I knew just where to turn…
My name is Sheri Lynch. I’ve been married to Tom for 25 years, so I know how driven and focused he is when he sets his mind to something. And it was clear immediately how much Miranda cared about the people in Nzinga. I add 11 years of previous non-profit management experience to Tom’s determination, and Miranda’s passion. I serve as Executive Director of Isipho, managing day-to-day issues, and administrative duties. I see my role as being the functional glue that keeps Isipho going while Tom is at work and Miranda is at school.
The three of us volunteer 100% of our time working on Isipho, which guarantees almost 100% of funds go directly to our programs.
If you would like to support our work in iNzinga, please follow this link to find out how you can help.
Please take one minute to watch Miranda interact with the children of Nzinga with the book we donated to one of the creches.