Support Zuber in his Fight with Cancer

Zuber's friends and family are looking to raise funds to help him with the medical and personal costs related to his care as a cancer patient.

As many of you know, Zuber was diagnosed with aggressive cancer in September 2023. He received treatment in South Africa for over a year, but this has come with very high costs. Today his resources as well as those of his immediate family are no longer sufficient to cover ongoing medical costs, travel to access care, and medication he needs at this stage of his disease.

Zuber is much admired for his commitment and his care for others - in his personal and professional life he has always been there, unconditionally, for others. In the early years of his career he worked for the Ministry of Education, and at the young age of 18 became director of an agricultural school just as Mozambique became independent. Many of Zuber's students are today prominent persons in Mozambique who likely remember with a smile how he helped them along in their early careers.

As part of the Education team at UNICEF in the 1980's and 1990's Zuber and colleagues worked very hard to build rural schools, train teachers, and provided other basic social services to many poor communities. I remember how proud he and others were of a maternity center in Inhamissa (a small village in the south of Mozambique) built with funds collected from the community and with support from a donor, and which still exists today. As a trainer and facilitator Zuber has continued working in community development and local governance in the latter part of his career providing important inputs and support to the work of many NGO's, United Nations Organisations and other entities, and continuing to change the lives of the people he met.

Zuber has been to so many a very dear friend and a brilliant and supportive colleague. He has that unique capacity to be there for others - with a smile, a few wise words, an afternoon of friendship. He is also an amazing father to three beautiful daughters, a caring and much loved grandfather, uncle, brother, and son. He has done much for his community, his family, and the country he loves.

Zuber has always been there for others, and this fund raiser is our way of being there for him too. I hope you will be able to help with words of encouragement and love, and with a financial contribution, if possible.

Thank you so very much. Muriel Visser and João Pinto