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/