Greetings from Colorado,
I apologize for not sending a final journal from Zimbabwe indicating that we would be returning to Colorado. On Oct. first, we had a window in our truck smashed in Harare and our computer was taken. We were in a grocery store parking lot that is fenced and is guarded. It was our last trip to Harare before we left to come home. I felt like one of my arms had been cut off. All my pictures, journals, spreadsheets, emails, etc. were on that computer.
Jeff, Ralph and I arrived in Denver on October 12 after a very long but uneventful flight. It was good to be home but we always return with a hole in our hearts because of all the work that still needed to be completed.
September 24 was a day of many emotions.
Mr. Scott’s funeral was on that day. Community members from all around gathered at the family homestead. It was such a sad day. We had the opportunity to meet Mr. Scott’s son who was the apple of his father’s eye. He is at the University studying accounting. He is a fine young man and the type of person that Zimbabwe needs.
Albert, our manager, had an opportunity to address all who had gathered. Mr. Scott had become Albert’s extra hand and will be terribly missed. The children will miss him as well. Mr. Scott always had the time to talk with the children. Frequently the children would run to greet him when they saw the truck coming, because he would stop and give them a ride.
At 1:00 the MP (Member of Parliament) for our area had invited a large group for lunch. It included the HCOC staff, Headmen in Ward 1, Executive Committee Members etc. It was an informal gathering providing an opportunity for everyone to gather and review the accomplishments over the years. The lunch was provided by the MP. It was also an opportunity for the community leaders to express their appreciation for all the work accomplished over the years. The climax was the goat presented to us by the MP. In the Shona culture, it is a custom to give a goat to someone that you wish to thank. The MP had mentioned doing so for several years but nothing was ever done. This came as a total surprise. Unfortunately I do not have a picture since my computer was stolen. The Ram is a handsome animal and is happily staying at one of the teacher’s homestead that has a herd of female goats.
Water is essential for life. Without water all living things will die. Even the cattle know that. Here you see some cattle that have come to investigate what the men are doing at the well. Ralph and Jeff put in some long days the last week trying to repair as many wells as possible. Sometimes it was dark when they returned for supper. On some days they were able to repair three wells in one day. All total, 15 wells were repaired in the community. This was made possible when the supplier of the repair parts learned what Ralph and Jeff were doing. He gave them a huge reduction in price on the parts they needed. This allowed them to repair more wells than anticipated
Most of us in this country take water for granted. All we have to do is turn on a tap. That is not true for a large number of people in this world. In one instance, Ralph and Jeff repaired a well that had not operated since 2002.
The community that used the well that was broken dug a hole in the ground under some bushes in order to have water. Imagine having to do this in order to have any water. Can you imagine using such water for drinking, bathing, cooking etc? I don’t know if those who used this water source boiled their water. My best guess is that they did not. No wonder that during the rainy season there is an outbreak of cholera, malaria, dysentery etc.
On June 6 Jeff, Ralph and I attended an awards ceremony at Nyahuni Boarding School.
Two orphans from HCOC are attending Secondary School there. Tracey and Petronella were outstanding students in grade seven and are continuing to shine at Nyahuni. Both girls received awards for outstanding work. Tracey received a first place for her work in Agriculture and Petronella received first place for her work in Shona. It costs about $325.00 per term for each child to attend this school.
Finally we have power at the new HCOC site. ZESA, the power company in Zimbabwe, finally came through and completed the job of getting power to the new well at the site. It was only accomplished through a lot persistence and aggravation. There was also additional expense involved that we had not planned for. We have experienced this before but there seems to be no end to the tricks they pull. They know they have you over a barrel. Keeping this in mind, I need to add that we only had power at night. Usually the power would come on about 10:00 at night and would go off at about 5:00 a.m. It isn’t the best situation but it does allow the pumps in the well to operate and at least pump enough water to get through the day.
The stand for the water storage tanks at HCOC is complete and the tanks are in place. The electricity has been connected to the
pump in the well and water is being pumped into the tanks. The trenches have been dug for the water lines to the manager’s house and for the garden land in the background. Trenches have also been dug for the water lines to run to the Moringa plot. We are waiting to hear that all is in working order.
A lot was accomplished this trip. As always not everything was complete when it was time to leave.
In closing I would ask you to pray for the children being cared for at HCOC. It is through your help that these children are smiling. It has not always been so.
No children with HIV have died in over a year. This is due largely to the improved health care being provided and the improved diet the children receive at the feeding centers.
In His Service,
Ralph and Roberta