Gertrude Matshe, Author and Activist, to Speak at Cambridge College on Monday, October 17th at 6:00 p.m.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cambridge College is proud to announce that Gertrude Matshe, author, activist and founder of the Africa Alive Foundation, will speak at the College on Monday, October 17th at 6:00 p.m. Ms. Matshe is an acclaimed international speaker and the author of the book "The Power of One." She has developed several schools, community-building projects, and feeding programs for children in Zimbabwe.

Ms. Matshe's book details a story that began with her guest lecture at Cambridge College in 2008, where she inspired a student named Alexandra Vanegas to begin collecting books for a small library in Zimbabwe in great need of repair and replenishment.

"Her lecture was amazing, and I felt personally moved and inspired by her journey," said Ms. Vanegas, who collaborated with Cambridge College professor Barbara Kofske Reid and fellow student Jessie Bartlett to begin collecting over 500 books for the library under a project entitled "Africa 500."

The project came to fruition in January of 2010, when Ms. Matshe attended the grand opening of the newly renovated and resupplied library.  In honor of Ms. Vanegas' contributions, the community chose to name the facility "The Alexandra Vanegas Library."

"We are greatly looking forward to welcoming Ms. Matshe back to the Cambridge College campus, and to her reunion with Professor Kofske Reid and Ms. Vanegas," said Joy King, director of Alumni Affairs, "This type of dedicated activity is a perfect demonstration of the College's commitment to underserved populations, wherever they may be."

The event is free and open to the public.  Cambridge College is located at 1000 Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge, between Harvard and Central squares.

About Cambridge College:
Cambridge College (www.cambridgecollege.edu) is dedicated to providing academically excellent, time-efficient, and cost-effective higher education for a diverse population of adult learners for whom those opportunities may have been limited or denied.  Founded in 1971, Cambridge College is a private non-profit institution of higher education accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, (NEASC CIHE). Comprised of four schools –Undergraduate Studies, Education, Psychology and Counseling, and Management – Cambridge College enrolls more than 8,000 students each year in professional education and undergraduate, graduate and doctorate-level degree programs at the main campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts and across seven regional centers nationwide in Springfield and Merrimack Valley, MA; Chesapeake, VA; Memphis, TN; Augusta, GA; San Juan, PR; and Inland Empire, CA. The College accepts selected transfer credits for both graduate and undergraduate programs, and schedules evening and weekend classes designed for adult learners.  

SOURCE Cambridge College