September 19, 2015
Journal 1
Greetings from Zimbabwe,
Erik and I arrived in Zimbabwe on the 16th after a very long trip. The man who pushed my wheelchair turned out to be a Blessing in disguise. Because of our large amount of luggage, they immediately tapped us for inspection. Erik’s carry-on was the first to be checked and he passed with flying colors and then one of my duffle bags was next. Everything in it was for projects here. I told the person pushing the wheel chair to make any excuse necessary to get us out of there. He told the inspector that I was feeling ill and we needed to go. We were let through. Praise God or we might still be there. One solar light bulb was unwrapped and I thought if the inspector realized what it was we would never get out of there.
Albert, Beauty and Godfrey were at the airport to greet us and they had brought an extra truck to haul us and the luggage. We arrived at the Bed and Breakfast before 6:30. Elizabeth was out to greet us. She finished dinner while we settled in. We were certainly ready for some rest after a very long trip.
The next morning, after gathering supplies, we were ready to begin the adventure. It was a long trip to HCOC but everyone was gathered waiting for our arrival. They had to come in the house after unloading and give us a proper welcome. There were many familiar faces and some new people to meet. There were speeches of welcome and lots of singing. I am always impressed by their beautiful harmony.
Friday morning Beauty picked us up and we accompanied Beauty on a visit to Inyagui and Guzha. She was checking on the documents required for new orphans to be enrolled at HCOC. I was very impressed with the face-lift that has taken place at Inyagui. The grounds were neat and tidy. The buildings had all had a fresh coat of paint. The entrance had also had a face-lift. It is truly encouraging to see the people here taking the initiative to improve things for themselves.
Guzha is so overcrowded with students that we found the preschool meeting in the Library because there were no available classrooms. The parents on that end of Ward One are attempting to start another Secondary School because their children have to walk, some as much as 15 km each morning and evening, to attend Nyamashato Secondary School. While the school is slowly being constructed, the classes are meeting in some of the Guzha classrooms. As a result there is a shortage of classroom space.
This is a fourth grade class meeting under a tree for the lack of classroom space. Teaching here is a challenge in the best of conditions. This situation presents a whole new set of challenges.
I don’t know the plan when the rainy season arrives. The rains can begin at any time. However, in the past several years the pattern has indicated that the serious rains will not begin until later in the year.
I have been traveling to Zimbabwe for almost 20 years. During those trips, I have on rare occasions seen an albino person. This year is the first time I have seen one locally. This child is enrolled in pre-school at Guzha. As you can see he has suffered from the intense sun, even though he wears a hat. Carol sent along some sunscreen which has been given to the nurse to dispense to the child when needed. This child has a younger sibling that is also suffering from the same condition. So the sibling will share the sunscreen issued to this child. The child faces many challenges as he grows. This culture is not very supportive.
Yesterday, we drove to visit Innocent. He is a child living alone that Susan and I had visited a year ago. I went wanting to see what changes had taken place. The one room he is living in has more cracks and holes in it. We checked on what he had to eat and discovered that he had nothing. He had shared part of his monthly provisions with his sister who is living elsewhere. Erick had a Cliff bar in his pocket and left that with him. That would be his supper.
A new toilet and bathing room had been built by some community members recently. That was a big improvement. You may remember that last year he had some hens and raised baby chicks to sell as they grew to earn money for his school fees. Recently someone stole all but one chick while he was away at school. My heart aches for him. We need more housing so that children like this can be brought into HCOC and housed under supervised conditions.
I try to limit the journal to no more than two pages. I have overshot my limit and so it is time to close and get this on its way.
Please pray for children living in child-headed households. Pray that funds will be available for expanding available housing. Innocent is trying so hard to be independent and is blocked at every turn. Some bricks that were recently donated by community members for a new room for Innocent were stolen by someone.
Blessings,
Roberta