Under the protective canopy of the forest, a curious young girl, named Chido, made her

way through dried leaves and tree roots.

It was the rainy season in Zimbabwe, and Chido and her grandmother were searching for mushrooms

that were pushing their way out through the dew.

The sun-dappled soil below was soft and loamy, and Chido marveled at all the colorful

shapes springing from the forest floor.

There were small red mushrooms with white polka dots, 10 mushrooms with delicate gills,

and golden mushrooms opening up like trumpets into the air.

Chido lifted each of them to show her grandmother, trusting her knowledge to determine if they

were dangerous fungi or tasty cheats.

Mushrooms had been important to Chido's family for a long time, but on the first day of foraging,

Chido had no idea that they would one day save her life.

I'm Denise Komalo, and this is Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, a fairy tale podcast

about the real-life Rebel women who inspire us.

On this episode, we'll meet Chido Govera, a mushroom enthusiast and cultivator, activist

and author who's growing the community of mushroom farmers.

Chido Govera was born in 1986.

She grew up with her mother, grandmother, and younger brother in a small village in Zimbabwe.

The land around them was lush and green.

Life was difficult for the people of the village.

Many of them were living in poverty, and Chido and her family often went without basic

necessities.

...