You Touched our Lives – Video of the 2006 Volunteer in Mission team visit to Zimbabwe

Bind us Together – Video showing members of our 2006 Volunteer in Mission team at work in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Update – Update on conditions in Zimbabwe after our 2007 visit there.

Click here to see videos.

A. Inflation–No longer increasing, but where the total collapse of the Zim$ will lead is still unknown. Everything is now is US$ or similar and there is a great shortage of it. One report said that the 100 trillion dollar note won’t buy a loaf of bread. Stores are again stocked with goods–prices are in US–basics are expensive, while others can be nonsensically exorbitant.

B. Cholera report–April 26 cumulative–97,198 cases and 4,244 deaths. 11 Cases and 0 deaths added today (in comparison with 18 cases and 0 deaths yesterday) Still a critical threat if urban water and sanitation problems aren’t adequately resolved. The WHO is actively involved in this work.

C. Teachers are threatening not to go back to work on May 5 for Term Two unless they are paid in hard currency. [They all got US$100 in February, but apparently still in Zim$ in March and April--the government simply doesn't have the hard currency to pay them.] Most schools that ARE operating are doing it by paying the teachers US$ by charging parents in US$. Clare charged $20 per pupil, Hartzell $50 last term. Everything needed for education is very expensive.

D. Political rights–MDC still being harassed and arrested. Phony charges continue. Farm invasions continue. ZANU and Mugabe fight Tsvangirai over the most basic issues of government. The effort to make the Unity government work continues.

E. “Open Letter to the Editor of the Herald Newspaper”

[Eddie Cross is a White Zimbabwean--economist and MDC Member of Parliament from Bulawayo.]

His web site with bio and all his regular writings http://www.eddiecross.africanherd.com/

“I have not bought a Herald newspaper for at least 10 years. The reasons are 
many but mainly relate to the fact that for as long as I can remember your 
paper has been an apologist for the government and what in the past has been 
called the ‘ruling Party’.


However on Wednesday this week some colleagues said that I had to read an Op 
Ed that appeared in your newspaper that morning. I borrowed a copy and with 
disbelief at first and finally anger, I read what you had written on the 
front page of the paper about the American and the British Ambassadors. An 
article under a pseudonym on the centre page of the paper further compounded 
this.


Firstly, I am disgusted by this blatant example of how your paper, under your 
leadership, continues to flagrantly violate the fundamental tenants of your 
profession and the terms of the Global Political Agreement signed in 
September last year in an attempt to restore some pride and dignity to this 
broken nation.

Secondly, I think this was a cowardly act in that there is no way that either 
of these two men, at the pinnacle of long and distinguished careers can 
respond or defend themselves in any way. You are secure in this knowledge 
and the fact that the corrupt and distorted legal system in this country 
would not allow them to take legal action against you for slander as I am 
sure would be possible in more balanced and just societies.

But my criticism goes way beyond this in our present situation. Both men are 
due for reassignment and in the case of the US Ambassador, retirement after 
his term in office. They are therefore our guests, honoured guests, 
representing at the highest level, their countries and their own people in 
Zimbabwe. As guests, our own culture demands that we respect them and make 
them welcome, even if their views differ from our own. In fact, when you 
insult Mr. McGee, you insult the President of the United States of America, 
Mr. Obama and that is a stupid thing to do.

On purely political grounds, these Ambassadors speak, not for themselves, 
but for their Governments, when they demand that we adhere to the principles 
and values that guided the liberation movements and the world community in 
the struggle for justice and freedom in Zimbabwe. I defy you to defend, in 
public, the continued denial of these freedoms and rights to the people of 
Zimbabwe by the Zimbabwe government.

On Wednesday I sat next to the new Director of the World Food Programme in 
Zimbabwe. He told me that from January to March 2009, Zimbabwe had the 
largest food aid programme in the world. In fact, over those three months – 
the hunger months in our country, the international community, without 
fanfare or publicity, fed an astonishing 7.1 million people. Nobody was more 
responsible for this amazing feat than the two men you now slander at the 
end of their tenure.

Both Ambassadors have overseen a doubling of official development assistance 
and humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe during their terms of office. Only this 
week I was informed that Britain will double its aid again this year and I 
am informed that the US has agreed to a massive increase in assistance to 
help get our small scale farmers producing food for themselves next summer. 
Last year Zimbabwe received the equivalent of 15 per cent of our Gross 
Domestic Product in aid; this is among the highest ratios of official 
development assistance and humanitarian aid in the world.

Nobody, nobody was more responsible for this than the two Ambassadors who 
worked tirelessly to persuade a sceptical watching world that we were worth 
the effort. I would like to take you (the Editor) to any part of Zimbabwe 
and introduce you to hundreds of people who would tell you that they owe 
their lives to the aid agencies. Then I would take you to the offices of the 
agencies doing this amazing work and we would ask them who was funding them. 
In half these cases you would be told it is American Aid. Between Britain 
and the USA they provide over two thirds of all aid reaching this country.

I would like to take you to a clinic in my constituency where I would show 
you a clinic, which 6 months ago was derelict and overgrown, with few staff 
on duty and no drugs. Now you would find it spotless – cleaned by staff who 
are suddenly able to come to work. You would see lines of people receiving 
health services, much of it free. Ask them what has made the difference and 
they will tell you it is the allowances they are receiving from an 
organisation funded by DIFID – the aid arm of the British Government. The 
Ambassador is personally responsible for this initiative where they are 
trying to help us retain staff in the medical field. I spoke to the CEO of 
the Bank that handles these payments and they did not even know that the 
millions of dollars they were handling came mainly from the UK.

By slandering and abusing these men you are failing in your duty as Editor 
of the largest daily in Zimbabwe to tell the truth and to work for the 
people who pay your salary. But more than that, you fail to recognise their 
unsung efforts for our country and our people. You make it more difficult 
for the dedicated men and women who work for these diplomatic missions and 
who are trying to do their best to support us as a nation.


You must know that key decision makers in many capitals will have read this 
piece of writing in your newspaper. It will have been read by Susan Rice at 
the United Nations, by the new Under Secretary of State for Africa – himself 
a former Ambassador to Harare and a black American like James McGee. It 
makes Tendai Biti’s job in Washington this week that much more difficult. It 
makes Elton Mangoma’s task in Holland less achievable this weekend.


Donors from foreign lands are today spending US$3 million a DAY in Zimbabwe. 
In January, the total tax receipts of the Zimbabwe government were US$4 
million. In 2009 foreign donors, led by dedicated Ambassadors like Jim McGee 
and Andrew Pocock, will match every dollar we pay in tax with a dollar 
raised from taxpayers in their own counties. Your actions in writing what 
you did last Wednesday put all of that in jeopardy. If I had been the Prime 
Minister on Wednesday morning, I would have called your Chairman and asked 
for your head. You owe your liberty to the fact that the Prime Minister is 
trying to make this thing work but believe me you are on borrowed time.”

Eddie Cross
24th April 2009

Crynos Mufombori, “My heart bleeds for the school children”

from “Zimbabwe Situation”

March 2009 (IRIN)

When teachers taught

HARARE, Crynos Mufombori, 44, is a senior teacher at a rural secondary school in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland Central Province, in the north of the country. He has made the 190km trip to the ministry of education in the capital, Harare, looking for help, as his school failed to reopen at the beginning of the academic year in January 2009.

“The ministry has made me the caretaker headmaster of the school, because the one who held that position and his deputy last reported for duty in early December last year [2008] and we don’t know where they are. They did not tender their resignations and the headmaster even went away with the keys to his office.

“I have been a teacher for close to 20 years and never before have I been in such a quandary as the one I am facing right now. Since schools officially opened, only five teachers have reported for duty. As soon as they discovered that they were the only ones present, they went back to their homes, leaving me virtually on my own.

“I have tried to trace the others, and the ones I have talked to told me that they were no longer interested in teaching. They are saying they are afraid to return to the schools after being harassed by [ruling party] militias during elections last year.

“Some of them fled the political violence after being accused of being supporters of the opposition, leaving their belongings behind. I have tried to explain to them that the political situation has changed following the formation of an inclusive [power-sharing] government [in February 2009], but they are having none of that.

“I have also received reports that a substantial number of the teachers that used to work at the school have crossed the borders to South Africa and Botswana, where they are now employed or are seeking employment.

“Even when the minister of education set deadlines for absconding teachers to reapply, there have been no responses, leaving me with the only option of scouting for untrained teachers. The provincial education offices and our headquarters used to be inundated with unqualified people seeking temporary employment in the education sector in the past; it seems teaching is being totally shunned now.

“The US$100 vouchers that the government introduced as allowances are failing to attract temporary teachers because they regard it as too low and unsustainable. Worse still, today’s youths are not interested in working in rural areas because of the difficult working conditions.

“Even if I could get all the teachers I want, I don’t think it would be easy to start teaching. Thieves have been capitalizing on the absence of staff at the school, stealing books, stationery and furniture.

“The ministry has told me that there is hardly anything that it can do to rebuild the school because the government has no money for that. To make matters worse, no donors are forthcoming, and parents cannot contribute because they don’t have money and are busy tending their fields.

“My heart bleeds for the hundreds of school children who cannot receive an education now. They have been forced to become farm labourers and, since their parents are too poor, they cannot be transferred to urban or boarding schools where a semblance of learning is taking place. Other schools in the district are experiencing the same problems as mine, meaning that the pupils have no choices at all.”

Ann’s note: We are thankful that Hartzell Primary School is one of the schools that is functioning.

We saw Rev. Lloyd Nyarota beginning the distribution of the first of these supplies when were there in February.

Supplies Arrive in Zimbabwe

February 24, 2009 —Containers of lifesaving medicine and other supplies from United Methodists have arrived in Zimbabwe. The shipment is part of the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s (UMCOR) ongoing work to provide assistance to Zimbabwe in response to an ever-widening cholera and financial crises.

Thirty-five Medicine Boxes, medical books and a microscope provide hope and help for people caught up in the continuing tragedy of a society in chaos. The 14,112 school kits, give children basic supplies as schools prepare to reopen after being shuttered for months.

Each Medicine Box contains basic medical supplies to provide for a community of 1,000 people for three months. The sterile bandages, vitamins, antibiotics and more in these boxes will assist 35,000 people over the next three months. Health care and supplies are precious commodities in Zimbabwe today.

Water Filters Support UMCOR’s Efforts

Muslim Aid, an UMCOR partner and UK-based relief agency, is providing further medical support. Its shipment brings one million tablets of Fluconazole, a drug used to treat fungal infections in AIDS patients and others to United Methodist hospitals. Muslim Aid is also sending 100 Aquaboxes and 300 personal Lifestraw filters to be distributed to local communities to help stem the cholera outbreak that has so far sickened 83,000 people in the country.

Each Aquabox contains 30 filters. One filter provides nearly 300 gallons of clean drinking water. Altogether, the 100 Aquaboxes will deliver some 900,000 gallons of safe water for Zimbabwe communities—a precious commodity in cholera-ridden times. In addition to the filters, the Aquaboxes contain chlorine to treat other water sources. The 300 Lifestraws will provide an additional 200 gallons of clean water for each personal drinking straw.

The Zimbabwe Annual Conference is working with UMCOR staff on the ground in Zimbabwe to ensure these lifesaving supplies are delivered to United Methodist hospitals and cholera-affected communities.

16,000 Families to Receive Food

In addition to the medical supplies, UMCOR is also delivering 400 metric tons of milled maize throughout 12 United Methodist districts in Zimbabwe. The shipment is scheduled to be delivered throughout the month of March.

The most vulnerable families, selected by community leaders, including United Methodist district superintendents, receive 55-pound bags of grain to supplement their meager diets. Approximately 16,000 families will receive this important food staple.

Crisis Continues

The situation in Zimbabwe remains dire despite reports of improvement in recent days. More than 3,000 people have died in the cholera epidemic that has swept the country for months. Hyperinflation has led to economic collapse. UMCOR and the United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe are working together to provide health care and food and water in the most difficult situations.

You can support UMCOR’s efforts to give relief to the people of Zimbabwe by giving toUMCOR Advance #199456, Zimbabwe Emergency. 

Primary students getting porridge at break time.

Food in the grocery stores now is sold in American dollars.

The garden at White Horse Inn is as lovely as ever!

We are finally home, having stopped off in Namibia on the way to look for animals and birds. Zimbabwe is in transition, but only time will tell to what.  The sharing of governmental power by the two parties has finally begun, but it the long ruling ZANU-PF still acts like it owns the country. Inflation was so bad [ hextillions % per year !] that almost everything is now being charged in US$–which most people don’t have.  Moreover, those US$ prices are unrealistically high–one store wanted $40 for a jar of rubber cement!  Fees, uniforms, school supplies, food–almost everything–costs us much more than we were paying the bills in Zimbabwean money. We were able to use our buying power in exchanges for quite a number of extra ways to help.  That is now ended as our US$ costs for basics have increased by as much as 10 to 40 times.

There was no way we could pay the new fee of $50 per term for each of the 400 Hartzell Primary School children we have supported for a number of years.  This would have amounted to $60,000 for the year.  We bargained for an arrangement whereby we are keeping 120 in school for the year at a cost of $10,000. This is twice as much as we have been paying for the 400.  Our resources are stretched and there won’t be money left for the extra uniforms and supplies we have been helping with.

Whereas we have been running the High School sponsors program on $200 a year, including fees, uniforms, and supplies, tuition for just this Term is now $160 with clothes and supplies adding another$50+ with two more terms in the year to go.  It looks like we will need double sponsors for each of the 26 we have in the program this year.  Some of them had their homes destroyed in election violence last spring and have been put in boarding–at extra costs.

Past generosity has enabled us to expand the helping programs and give relief to some who had been burned out by ZANU thugs.  For this we are very thankful.  We have noticed however, that we are not being asked for many new or return presentations.  Our crafts projects have hit a number of problems–breakage, much higher costs, and lower sales–so they aren’t providing the support they once did.

In short–keeping the kids fed, clothed and in school is a major financial challenge! We are not despairing, but we could use help.

We arrived safely and without incident.

Everything is priced in US dollars—but at inflated prices. It will probably sort itself out eventually, as it was announced officially yesterday that it is now legal to use any currency. However, it is not likely to do so in short order.

The primary school fees are now US$50 per student per term. (Contrasted with $4-5 per term when US dollars were being converted to Zim dollars.) As a result, we are spending twice as much to support only 120 instead of 400.  280 children will be sent home!

Inflation in Zimbabwe has been unreal. The new largest bill listed for printing on November 23 was for 5 billion dollars. On December 30 they were reporting one for 1 trillion and by the end of January the new 100 trillion dollar bill was almost universally rejected with almost everythign being bought and sold for foreign currency [forex] with the US dollar being the standard.

Click here to see an article on Zimbabwe from the NY Times.

People in Zimbabwe face a bleak and hungry Christmas Season

Children at Clare School

It is very appropriate in this Thanksgiving Season that we share our deep sense of thanksgiving to you who have enriched the lives of so many children in Zimbabwe! Your eager willingness to help (and that of countless others, as well) has both inspired and pushed us to keep the projects moving and growing. For your encouragement, support, and prayers, we are blessed and thankful!

We have hoped that the long sought after agreement reached in September for the two parties in Zimbabwe to share governmental power would lead to better times for the country and its people. We kept putting off a posting to our website, in order to see how this new sharing would work out. As you know, it hasn’t happened and terrible conditions continue to grow worse. Cholera has become a major health issue as clean water supplies break down.The inflation is surreal! They cut 10 zeros from the currency in August, making 10 billion equal to one new dollar. However, the inflation continues such that a single order of prescription drugs could now cost 24 million in the new money one week and double that the next!

Communication with the high school administration has been very difficult. Telephone lines are down and the email there is not functioning. Indirect communication has run into problems as one or another has been on leave. We have developed a new line of communication and funding through the Office of the United Methodist Conference Projects Coordinator. His email actually works!

The schools in Zimbabwe have become a disaster area. With inflation at the rate of billions of percent, the teachers’ salaries aren’t enough to even pay transportation costs to get to work—hence many have left. Hartzell High has not been quite as hard hit in that respect, since many live on the Mission grounds. However, quite a number have left, leaving the school shorthanded. Moreover, scarcity of food has made it difficult for the school’s boarding program to function. Our day students did receive half board meals during Term Two and another nine became emergency boarders when their family homes were burned by political zealots.

We have been told that the Form Four and Six students have taken their national Ordinary and Advanced Level exams as scheduled. Many schools around the country have not even managed that. However, money is so short that there is no guarantee that anybody will agree to grade them—so we are not very hopeful that their marks will be available by the time we get there early next year.

We have been successful in getting the students’ needs supplied in terms of clothes and school supplies taken care of by a retired headmaster. That is a success story! One of our best students who was determined to attend nearby Africa University, managed to get himself admitted, and we are stretching to find ways of keeping him there after this first semester. Methods of paying fees at all levels change from day to day as everybody is struggling to keep their schools, universities, and homes going.

We thank you for your patience, your support, and your concern for these students who are facing a time of extreme challenges in their young lives. We are planning on going to Zimbabwe in January, 2009 and we will post more information on conditions there after we get back in February. We continue to work with the $200 per year figure for sponsorships. We need sponsors for the new high school students entering in January. If you would like to do this, please email us at morris@taber.net. Reminder–Please make the check out to Ypsilanti First UM Church and mail it to us at 2856 Renfrew, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

God’s Blessings, Morris and Ann