Greeting from Zimbabwe,
Yesterday, Albert hired a truck and took 600 chickens to Harare to market. He called from Marondera later in the afternoon saying that he had an order for 150 dressed chickens for the hospital there. He needed to deliver them the next day. So things sprang into action and some community people were called in to help dress the chickens. I helped bag dressed chickens for a while but left when more help arrived. Jeff hauled dressed chickens in our truck from the poultry run to the freezer in the pump house near the front gate. It was after 11:00 at night before the job was finished and after mid-night before Jeff got to bed.

Albert’s truck is out of commission. It broke down Wednesday afternoon when he had gone to Guzha to deliver some supplies. He called Jeff to come and tow him home. Albert’s truck being out of working order was the reason for hiring a truck to take chickens to Harare yesterday. It is bad enough to be down to one truck but things come to a complete halt when there is no truck. We will be leaving in a very short while and our truck will be gone. Our truck has been the emergency back-up.

Trucks began arriving Wednesday afternoon with equipment and supplies for the wells. There are four workmen and they will remain here until the pumps and equipment are installed and everything is working properly. Everyone is so excited especially at Guzha where they have never had water nearby. They can hardly fathom having 10,000 liters of water on tap. Yesterday, Jeff and I watched as the workmen assembled the steel work for the stand and then watched as they put it in place using their pickup truck to help tilt it upright. Today, they are assembling the stand for another tank here at HCOC.

The workmen that will install the solar panels at Guzha are scheduled to arrive on Monday. It will be exciting to see the first water pumped with solar power.

Plans are underway for a special spot at HCOC for a memorial garden in memory of Ralph. It will be located in a corner near the front gate. When Jeff and I were in Harare early this week, Jeff purchased an Acacia tree for the garden. Acacias are the tree always pictured in photos of Africa. It grows in the shape of an umbrella and gives good shade. Since it is indigenous, it should grow without much care. Albert wants a foot path that leads from the front gate to where the Headstone will be placed. He also wants flowers planted along the foot path. There is a lot of ground work that will need to be done first. I don’t see enough time for that to happen before we leave. The Executive Committee is going to be responsible for the Headstone.

Yesterday, the 19th of November, the Rotary Club of Harare City paid a visit to the HCOC project. They are the host club on the water projects this year. The same club partnered with the Castle Rock Rotary Club last year on the well projects here in Zimbabwe. However, only one or two people in
the Harare Club even knew where HCOC was located. It was a real pleasure to host this club for a tour and lunch here at the site.

The group arrived about 10:30. Albert briefed them on the background of the project before beginning the tour. The tour began at Guzha, the most distant point. They visited the site of the well and had an opportunity to see the tank hoisted into place on the stand in the center of the school property. There will be a water faucet located at the base of the tank where teachers and children will be able to get water. It is also located very near the kitchen that prepares all of the food for the Feeding Center at Guzha. The Rotarians were very impressed with all that has taken place over the last 15 years. Thanks for this must go to all of the people in Denver and around the world who have contributed generously over the years to this mission. Those contributors have made all the improvements possible. I believe many in this community have forgotten what it was like in 1996. Schools were already condemned when Ralph and I made our first visit. Renovation of classrooms was of top priority along with safe water.

The day concluded when the visitors returned to the Feeding Center here at Nyamashato. A Southern Fried Chicken dinner had been prepared for them. Jeff purchased the chickens from HCOC and the employees at the chicken project dressed them early in the morning. Jeff cooked the chicken and I helped in the feeding center to prepare the mashed potatoes and cabbage slaw, etc.

The final connections have been made at the well for HCOC and water is pumping into the storage tanks as I type this letter. People are celebrating. Water is such a precious item in this area of Zimbabwe. We were lucky this year to get a good well. In another day or so, when the pipe has all been laid, the poultry project will have piped water at the site. The workers are anxious to have adequate water on site. Up to this point water had to be hauled from Nyamashato Primary School in drums. It was a laborious task and was not an efficient use of workers time. A big celebration is planned for next week at Guzha for the handing over of the water projects. It will be a time for the community to bid us farewell. We ask for your prayers as we make preparations for our departure and for safe travels for Jeff and I as we drive back to South Africa and fly back to Denver.

In His Service,

Roberta