My Global Giving UK Interview

Overseas Evaluation Programme – Reports from the Field

Why did you apply to be a part of the Overseas Evaluation Program? What advice would you give for any prospective volunteers?

The Overseas Evaluation Programme is such a great initiative for anyone who wants to volunteer and gain exposure to so many different NGO fields. I must say that I got a whole lot more than I had bargained for! Volunteering actually served as an evaluation of myself and my personal goals as well as a re-evaluation of my home country, Zimbabwe.

To anyone who is considering volunteering through this program I would say DO IT!! It truly is a great way to learn while being a part of something bigger than yourself.

Your visits to Zimkids and The Island Hospice must have offered contrasting insights into the hope and despair involved in grass roots initiatives. How has your trip influenced your perceptions of charity work?

For starters I really thought I knew it all before my project visits. I thought I knew exactly where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. I couldn't have been further from the truth. I understand that the need is often much greater than initially perceived.

Zimkids and Island Hospice were definitely two extreme contrasts. I absolutely loved Zimkids. It was my first project visit and I enjoyed spending my days with the children. The center is a much needed escape from the reality of home life – kids are allowed to be kids; to have fun. However, at the opposite end of the spectrum my time spent at Island Hospice was extremely solemn. I got an understanding of how great a need there is, and how grassroots projects are really pulling at their bootstraps to offer support. As is the case with Island Hospice, donor funds can significantly decrease without warning and this can drastically affect your work. Global Giving is already assisting in these areas through providing much needed training for all their project partners and this is a great help. The opportunity to learn from peers from all over the world doing similar work is truly infallible.

You say in your blog that you wanted to contribute to the country that raised you. What have been your impressions on returning to Zimbabwe?

Returning to Zimbabwe was marked with a lot of mixed feelings. Of course it was great to come back home after so long but things were not exactly as I had imagined. Being in England exposed me to so many things including a functioning health care system that’s virtually free to everyone, a functioning transport system that is efficient and can actually be trusted and an education system that’s in an exceptional class of it’s own. All of these elements are things that have long since deteriorated in Zimbabwe. Good health care is only for those who can afford it, the public transport system is a nightmare and the standards for primary, secondary and tertiary education in government institutions leave a lot to be desired. Coming face to face with the stark differences was painful and with each encounter I kept asking myself, “Why?” and “What can I do?” It hasn't been easy to take in and there is a lot that needs to be done. I've been left with a lot more questions than answers but still believe that I have a role to play in building a better Zimbabwe and I am even more determined to do so one way or another. I love my country.

What has been particularly exciting about your trip so far? Have there been hardships?

Although I grew up in Zimbabwe, Global Giving has led me to explore cities and villages that I otherwise would never have discovered. I have experienced first-hand different Zimbabwean languages and cultures. It was amazing to go out into communities where I was a ‘foreigner’ and I really enjoyed meeting so many different people with such diverse and unique stories to tell. Although I spent just one week with each project I have made friends that I will be in touch with for years to come and I have engaged with inspirational leaders that have become pivotal to my future development. As a result one of the hardest things for me was having to leave each project at the end of the week. I very easily got attached to all my projects and their work and felt there was always more I could have done to help had I had the time and resources.

One critical hardship was slow internet connectivity here in Zimbabwe. It makes it very difficult to effectively and efficiently use Global Giving as it is an online platform. I feel the majority of my projects were not able to and will not be able to benefit fully from Global Giving as a result of this.

I am so excited about Global Giving and I would love to see more grassroots projects in Zimbabwe becoming Global Giving partners.

XoXo

Chido Dziva Chikwari 

Who am I?

Standing in the empty room, her reflection in the mirror she ponders on the question.

Who am I?

Can the answer be uncovered through the seeing of an eye or does her substance go deeper than the image before her?

Who am I?

She recollects her past, the things she has done. Is that the sum total of her being? She shrugs and counts that out.

Who am I?

Her thoughts drift away to a not so distant future..a place where her dreams come to life and imagery of HERSELF shines forth.. Where the past meets the present and the future is there too.

A woman, an advocate, a voice, a lover, a mother, a friend, a builder, a peacemaker.

Who am I?

She is not what meets the eye; a reflection in the mirror.

She is not her past; the things she has done.

SHE IS: a painting half done, a story half told.

Where the past meets the present and the future is there too.

XoXo

Chido Dziva Chikwari

I don't particularly like this piece because it really is very cliché BUT at the same time what's cliché is probably what's really going on in the hearts of so many and that's what makes it relevant. This was inspired by an interview where I was asked point blank who I was and in the moment I had no clue how to respond. I probably blabbered on but later asked myself the question when alone in the confines of my room. I discovered that who I was is not how I appear to be now (that has the potential to evolve and has over the past 22 years) and neither was it who I was yesterday and all the things I had done to take up my time (those are so varied and change too). I then thought of all my hearts desires and where I want to be. A lot of satisfaction came then but that still didn't cumulate who I was. I wasn't there yet. This kinda left me stuck and I wanted to conclude by viewing this an inexhaustible question but that wouldn't be fair. So I was left with a combination of the three,  "Where the past meets the present and the future is there too". I am not defined by my past and what I did, I am not defined by my present and what I am doing but they all contribute to my tomorrow and that place where they all meet is hopefully where you will find ME!

I am only but a work in progress ;)

But then again if I was to drop dead today who would I be?

Global Giving UK: No Pretty Pictures

Island Hospice Bereavement Service Zimbabwe

This blog post is entitled “No Pretty Pictures” because I really couldn't take any. 

• Death sentence
• Hopeless case
• Pain 
• Poor  
•  No happy Ending

These are the first five elements that came to mind when I sat to think about the kind of circumstances that Island Hospice reaches out to. Nothing could have prepared me for the scenarios I came face to face with and the real life stories of how sickness and disease can make home life complicated and difficult. How effortlessly illness can strain relationships and bring them to breaking point. I saw in all truth how the shona saying, “Nhamo yemumwe hairambirwe sadza” (….the troubles of someone else don’t stop you from eating) can be brought to life.

The last thing I wanted to write about was a sob story. The last thing I wanted to write about was pity or pain. I wanted to emulate good stuff, to take pictures of smiling faces, to document victory against all odds. What I wanted was a heroic story but reality doesn't always work out like that.

The truth of the matter is that cancer is killing people effortlessly. The truth of the matter is that HIV/AIDS is still leaving children motherless and fatherless. The truth of the matter is that Mai XXXX XXXXX who I met at a home visit struggles to clean her house, to cook for her son, to walk, to talk, to sit up. Her husband works during the day as a builder and at night as a security guard. He is never home. Majority of the meager salary he makes goes towards her pain medication. Only the really strong stuff will work, it’s expensive. All three of them live in a two roomed wooden cabin with an external bathroom shared with 15 other people. Every week she has a duty to clean this bathroom and nobody in the compound cares that she is sick. The lady next door will do it only for a fee. It’s not her fault that Mai XXX XXXX has cervical cancer.

This is her reality.

YYYYY YYYY is HIV positive. Although she is 24 she looks 15. She is so skinny. She has a two year old daughter, TTTTTT, who had an on-going cough of up to two weeks before I met her at Mabvuku Clinic. TTTTT was very quickly losing weight and as I looked upon this child helpless to her circumstances my heart ached. Anti-Retroviral Drugs are free in Zimbabwe but YYYY YYYY isn't on them yet. Why? Because her husband (who is also HIV Positive) won’t let her take the meds.

How ridiculous does this sound?

What logic is there behind such blatant fallacy?

I don’t understand.

Why?

This is hers and her child’s reality.  

14 year old NNNNN is also HIV positive. He is only in grade 3 though. He has a physical and mental disability. He lives with his 16 year old brother and father. Amai Vakashaya (Mother died). It’s his brother that takes care of him and brings him to the clinic for medication. In the nurses room NNNNN is asked how he is today. He smiles shyly. When asked by nurse JJJJJJ what she can do for him today he says, “Nurse ndinemaronda” (Nurse I have sores). Nurse JJJJJJJ asks him where and he lowers his head in shame. The large sores are on his head, his back and his private parts.

This is his reality.

We all want a happy ending but chokwadi ndechekuti pano hapana (the truth is there is none here).

“Most donors are happy to give to something whose fruits they see in the physical but if someone has been given a death sentence there is hardly any sunshine in the horizon.” This is what Val Maarsdorp the Director of Island Hospice said to me.

“So what you do?” I asked.

“You make today better. You make a happier now. You do what you can to see each day through. You encourage, you support, you try hold things together.”

Life is for Living.

Life is for Now.

The nurses, counselors and caregivers at Island Hospice face these situations daily. They love their jobs, they love people. NNNNNNN, YYYYY YYYYYY, TTTTTTT and Mai XXXX XXXX need theirs, yours and my support to get by. To make today better. To make a happier now.

You can be a part of the work Island Hospice is doing by donating to them through Global Giving UK at: http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/donate/1116/island-hospice-and-bereavement-service/

You can also give of your time by volunteering. Island Hospice is desperately in need of support staff. You can help out at the reception desk or with some admin work. They are currently understaffed with a very heavy work load.

The Island Hospice address is:

6 Natal Road

Belgravia,

Harare

Telephone: +263-04-701 674

XOXO

Chido Dziva Chikwari

P.S This project visit was made possible through Global Giving UK. Global Giving UK is an organisation that supports grassroots projects and charities world over.

You can also read my introductory blog post about Island Hospice work here: 

http://myheartsimpressions.blogspot.com/2013/08/globalgivinguk-introducing-island.html

Or visit their website: http://islandhospice.org/

Global Giving UK: A week with ZOE

ZIMBABWE ORPHANS THROUGH EXTENDED HANDS

Based on the biblical scripture James 1:27 (Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world) what I would like to call silent armies and unsung heroes have risen all around Zimbabwe : ZOE. 

Silent in the sense that men and women have given of themselves to touch the lives of others. Others who otherwise would have gone unnoticed, unheard....forgotten! In a world where even if you have nothing to give only a touch is worth a 1000 words, the mere presence of someone else-to listen, to care can make all the difference.

ZOE (Greek) = Life (English)

Who are they? 

Volunteers. 

With up to 7000 volunteers nationwide, this is the cornerstone of the ZOE model. To mobilize, empower and equip communities to care for their own. 

Once again I've chosen to tell the story of this project visit through imagery. It would take a million words to adequately narrate all that ZOE is doing. Their vision has expanded and evolved over the years and to be honest I was rather overwhelmed on day one. One week was definitely not enough to get a full grasp but Oh well...here Goes...... 

The Beginning 

It was a picturesque Wednesday morning when I had the privilege of sitting and hearing from this amazing woman, a gift to Zimbabwe and the founder of ZOE-Zimbabwe Orphans though Extended Hands. Her name is Jean Webster and as we sat in her garden she narrated to me the story of how as a young woman; soon after completing her nursing degree in the UK, she moved to Zimbabwe (1976). Our conversation lasted up to 2 hours and I wish I could have recorded it all so I could share with you the emotion in her voice and the sound of a heart with genuine love for the all the children. She openly shared of her struggles and experiences up to where ZOE was born and is now. 

You can read her story-in her own words here :  http://www.loveglobal.com/project.aspx?asset=826

The Model 

The Vision of ZOE is That the church in Zimbabwe is conscientised concerning the importance of caring for the spiritual, emotional, mental, material and physical needs of orphans so that the orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe grow up to a wholesome personality and vital members of society. Pictured above is part of a 30 member volunteer team in Gwanda. I had the opportunity to sit and listen to their stories and hear about their work. In summary these volunteers are responsible for up to 5 orphaned households each where they conduct weekly visits and bring to life the vision of ZOE. What touched my heart the most was that through these visits the volunteers often become a part of the family, taking it upon themselves to feed and clothe when a child has no where else to look.

 The Work

Over the past 20 years ZOE projects have evolved to deal with the pertinent and eminent needs in society that go above and beyond 'being there'. Their work now includes the following projects: 

Envisioning Churches,
 Psychosocial Support,
 Live Stock Development, 
HIV and AIDS awareness,
 Conservation farming,
 Urban and Rural Livelihoods, 
Advocacy and Education, 
Infant Formula milk

To read more about these projects individually you can visit the ZOE blog at www.zoezim.blogspot.com , however, below I will outline the projects I saw in action..... 

Phychosocial Support 

What is phychosocial support??  It is an approach to victims of disaster, catastrophe or violence to foster resilience of communities and individuals. It aims at easing resumption of normal life, facilitate affected people participation to their convalescence and preventing pathological consequences of potentially traumatic situations.  The ZOE approach : above and beyond home visits through volunteers ZOE works to assist it's family through support groups. Pictured above is a kids club we visited in rural Masvingo  where the children come together and do activities such as drama, music and sports. This serves as a much needed outlet for the kids who thoroughly enjoy it.

Kids club leaders (volunteers) dance to a worship song with the kids

A kids club drama in action. The title of the drama was, "Kushungurudzwa Kwenherera" and in English that means "The Troubles/Struggles of an Orphan". It is through these dramas that the children are able to share of their real life experiences without having to openly testify. Because I am working with very slow internet here uploading a video is virtually impossible, but I would have loved to share with you a short video clip of this drama. The acting was top notch, many scenes where hilarious and some brought me to tears almost as I thought of the reality and truth behind the script.

Livestock Development 
( a.k.a The Goats, The Rabbits and The Chickens)
(a.k.a my personal favorite)

At first I was afraid.......

Then I got over it :) kinda...

This picture was taken in Mayezane-Gwanda. This is a project that started 1 year ago and as you can see Gogo's flock has already multiplied. At the start she was given three goats and the system works in such a way that in 3 years on she passes on three goats to the next family and keeps the part of the offspring that has multiplied. In this area ZOE is supporting 20 orphan families with goats. In this homestead Gogo takes care of her two grandchildren even though she can barely walk and has trouble with her eyesight. This is the case with many orphaned families where the HIV/AIDS pandemic has left the elderly or children themselves having to take care of entire households.

A beneficiary tends to one of her goats.

Everybody loves pictures :) A beneficiary poses with one of her rabbits. This project is one of my favorites because rabbits are not very difficult to rear and yet they multiply at an alarming rate and therefore provide protein, a much needed dietary element.

Conservation Farming
Gardening Projects

Sekuru and three of his grandchildren pose for a picture in their well looked after garden. One constant in all the homesteads I visited was the elderly having to look after their childrens' children. My question is what happens when they cannot fend for them anymore? All four of these kids are younger than 8. Who will look after them?

A beneficiary and three of her grandchildren. She told me of how she wanted to do more. How she wanted a to plant a bigger garden and trees. She welcomed me into her home as if I was one of her own and offered us lunch. In the little she had she wanted to do and give more! I was left asking myself what my excuse was. I had none.

Proud owners of a ZOE garden. All the gardens are green in what looks like a dull desert area. The beneficiaries fetch water from rivers or wells nearby to water their gardens using wheelbarrows and 20 litre cans. Many villagers are copying these gardens.  

This is Mai Marufu and Gogo Machagada. They are part of the Farming God's way project in Zaka. Through this initiative a very new model of farming chibage (maize) called 'makomba' is implemented. In the past four years they have seen improved yields in this area and farmers that are not part of the ZOE project have also been coping this method after seeing the results.


The Future

The fruits of the work ZOE is doing have blossomed all around Zimbabwe. The beneficiaries have been empowered in so many ways and it is their hope as well as that of ZOE that these good works continue. One obvious and apparent challenge is that of funding. Out in the field when you speak to people you hear stories such as these: 

1. The Kids Club would like to purchase real footballs. At the moment they use home made balls made out of newspapers and plastics as this is all they can afford. 
2. The community volunteers would like to start up projects of their own so that they can at least assist the families they visit with things such as clothes and food through their own initiatives. 
3. I spoke to one of the Training beneficiaries, Lesius Bongozo, who after completing his training in Boiler Making and Fabrication in 2008 (paid for by ZOE) had a dream to start his own mill and to train other orphans. He secured a job and managed to save up up until 2011 when the company he worked for could no longer pay him. He has been unemployed for the past 2 years as the harsh economic climate in Zimbabwe has rendered it virtually impossible to find a job. His wish is that he could have some capital to kick start his business. He has already bought some of the parts he requires but right now he is $800 short. $800 is the cost of an engine. 

Funding is one of the key issues here and during my project visit I was able to help ZOE enter for The Gateway Challenge. This will help them get onto Global Giving UK where they can access training support and fund raise through individual donors in the UK. The challenge lasts 30 days during which ZOE will have to raise £2000 from 50 unique donors. 

I was also able to help them set up a blog and this will help boost their online presence as well as facilitate links with people all over the world. You can access their blog at www.zoezim.blogspot.com. Please note this is still a work in progress :) 

Thank you to ZOE for an AWESOME week and most importantly for the work you are doing in Zimbabwe. I wish them all the best for the future. 

XOXO 

Chido Dziva Chikwari 

ZOE faces 

P.S. This trip was made possible through Global Giving UK as part of their Overseas Evaluation Program. If you would like to donate to ZOE they are currently on Global Giving through a partner of theirs The American Foundation for Children with AIDS.

To Donate follow this link: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/food-for-400-orphan-families/