Dear Friends,
Happy Thanksgiving for Thursday from Beira.
It is raining in Southern Africa, the mangoes are ready, and everyone is planting!!
It is POURING. The roof of the new clinic is leaking all over the receptionists. The clinic driveway is a quagmire and will require 10,000$ US to shore up. And the sheet metal roof blew off the medical school when a big storm came through. All the slums are like a lake around the peoples’ homes. It is supposed to be sunny tomorrow.
The news from Zimbabwe is, “It is a little better. It is picking up. We are still surviving.” All through the ‘80’s till 1992, Zimbabwe was full of Mozambiquans seeking safety, food, jobs and shelter. Now Mozambique is full of Zimbabweans looking for the same.
Last year when the inflation peaked, there was no money, no food or goods in the shops, everyone lost their savings in the banks, and their pensions. Can you imagine, the nurses, teachers, and everyone, had to walk across to Mozambique, try to sell something/anything, to get a little money to buy some food.
Our old hospital on the border between the two countries (in Zimbabwe) has held on and we saw many old friends. They are not complaining. They are hoping for a change in government and economics. The school at Mt. Selinda had to shut down last year due to no food, salaries etc.
Now the official salary for everyone..nurses, teachers, doctors, staff, is 150$ US per month. Education is not free and universal so school fees must be paid. Food, electricity and everything is expensive. So no one can get ahead. Zimbabwe was once described as the jewel of Africa!
The Mt Selinda orphanage had 25 children when we were there. Now there are 46 children- 8 infants. At night there is only one staff on duty. Diapers are few and now they don’t dry because of the rains.
I am now going to start a campaign to raise some money for diapers for the Orphans at Mt Selinda. I will also try to collect stethoscopes and BP cuffs for the hospital as they have all broken. And I am still collecting embroidery thread for the nun’s project here in Beira.
Will be back in Orono mid December briefly. Look forward to seeing you all. Have heard Naomi has the nurse’s office computerized!!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break.
All the Best to you all,
Emily
Monday, November 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Visit to Zimbabwe
Dear Friends,
Greetings and hope you are all fine, no flu, staying strong!!
Peter and I are in Zimbabwe for the week. We lived here from 1985-1988 and are revisiting (and renewing my visitor visa for Mozambique). This comes to you from the Outward Bound- Zimbabwe, in the Chimanimani Mountains. These are mysterious looking, BEAUTIFUL sandstone mountains, forming the border between Zim and Moz. You can pick them out on the map, straight west of Beira.
In 1985 one US Dollar bought 1.50$ Zim dollars. Inflation started and we were dismayed to see it go to 13 zim for one US, then 50, then 100. Last year, the government printed a 3 trillion dollar note that was worth 50cents US by the next day. This country has experienced the worst inflation ever in history in the world, with devastating effects on the people. After that 3 trillion dollar note, the country switched to the dollar economy and US dollars are in use. ....there is no more Zimbabwean money. There aren’t any coins
so they give you matches or candy to make up the change in the shops. Things are slightly improving. But MANY of the professional and educated Zimbabweans have left the country.
Then there are the commercial white farm seizures by the veterans of the war of liberation from the Rhodesians. It is complicated and hard to explain in this letter....but the land did not end up with the poor people, but rather in the hands of judges, politicians, and President Mugabe’s friends. (President since 1980!).
The director of Outward Bound here was a farmer for 40 years. He bought his farm, recently paid it off, grew flowers and crops for export, thus employing many people and earning foreign currency for Zimbabwe. Last year it was seized; house, land, farm equipment, everything, the workers turned off the farm, and he and his wife turned out. So at age 68, he has started a new career as director of Outward Bound, a job he was really lucky to get. His farm is lying fallow..no one is growing anything. This is the story all over Zimbabwe and it will take years to recover.
Our friends in Mutare grew roses for export. They had acres of greenhouses. Their farm was seized 2 years ago, the plastic is in tatters and nothing is being grown. They also have started a new career of making wine. They are sticking it out.
The many hospitals that had doctors in the ‘80’s when we were here now have no doctors. The university in the capital, Harare, is mostly shut down. The roads aren’t being repaired...and so on. People are just bearing it, waiting for change, and feeling this year is a tad better than last.
This is such a beautiful country with wonderful people throughout.The greed of a few has had such an impact on everyone . In 1985, new hospitals, clinics, schools were being built. There was tremendous optimism and hope after the liberation from Ian Smith’s repressive white government. But the rebuilding will have to start again after TOM (that old man, Mugabe ) goes.
Meanwhile, everyone is doing the best they can. And it is a spectacular country.
Muswere Zvakanaka!! Stay Well!!
Emily
Greetings and hope you are all fine, no flu, staying strong!!
Peter and I are in Zimbabwe for the week. We lived here from 1985-1988 and are revisiting (and renewing my visitor visa for Mozambique). This comes to you from the Outward Bound- Zimbabwe, in the Chimanimani Mountains. These are mysterious looking, BEAUTIFUL sandstone mountains, forming the border between Zim and Moz. You can pick them out on the map, straight west of Beira.
In 1985 one US Dollar bought 1.50$ Zim dollars. Inflation started and we were dismayed to see it go to 13 zim for one US, then 50, then 100. Last year, the government printed a 3 trillion dollar note that was worth 50cents US by the next day. This country has experienced the worst inflation ever in history in the world, with devastating effects on the people. After that 3 trillion dollar note, the country switched to the dollar economy and US dollars are in use. ....there is no more Zimbabwean money. There aren’t any coins
so they give you matches or candy to make up the change in the shops. Things are slightly improving. But MANY of the professional and educated Zimbabweans have left the country.
Then there are the commercial white farm seizures by the veterans of the war of liberation from the Rhodesians. It is complicated and hard to explain in this letter....but the land did not end up with the poor people, but rather in the hands of judges, politicians, and President Mugabe’s friends. (President since 1980!).
The director of Outward Bound here was a farmer for 40 years. He bought his farm, recently paid it off, grew flowers and crops for export, thus employing many people and earning foreign currency for Zimbabwe. Last year it was seized; house, land, farm equipment, everything, the workers turned off the farm, and he and his wife turned out. So at age 68, he has started a new career as director of Outward Bound, a job he was really lucky to get. His farm is lying fallow..no one is growing anything. This is the story all over Zimbabwe and it will take years to recover.
Our friends in Mutare grew roses for export. They had acres of greenhouses. Their farm was seized 2 years ago, the plastic is in tatters and nothing is being grown. They also have started a new career of making wine. They are sticking it out.
The many hospitals that had doctors in the ‘80’s when we were here now have no doctors. The university in the capital, Harare, is mostly shut down. The roads aren’t being repaired...and so on. People are just bearing it, waiting for change, and feeling this year is a tad better than last.
This is such a beautiful country with wonderful people throughout.The greed of a few has had such an impact on everyone . In 1985, new hospitals, clinics, schools were being built. There was tremendous optimism and hope after the liberation from Ian Smith’s repressive white government. But the rebuilding will have to start again after TOM (that old man, Mugabe ) goes.
Meanwhile, everyone is doing the best they can. And it is a spectacular country.
Muswere Zvakanaka!! Stay Well!!
Emily
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Outward Bound, Zimbabwe
Dear Friends and family,
Hey , we are at Outward Bound, Zimbabwe...way up in the Mountains of Chimanimani. Went on a serious walk with an instructor. Had to wiggle through a hole in a rock over a gorge. Couldn’t fit my bum through!!! Had to go around and swim for it.
Gave a lift to a Mom with a baby...baby’s name was...Boston Miami. Isn’t that a great name!!
Zim is really struggling...really difficult for people here. No development in 25 years. There is wireless here at the Outward Bound directors house, but the electricity is going off any second. Bye for now.
Love, Em
Hey , we are at Outward Bound, Zimbabwe...way up in the Mountains of Chimanimani. Went on a serious walk with an instructor. Had to wiggle through a hole in a rock over a gorge. Couldn’t fit my bum through!!! Had to go around and swim for it.
Gave a lift to a Mom with a baby...baby’s name was...Boston Miami. Isn’t that a great name!!
Zim is really struggling...really difficult for people here. No development in 25 years. There is wireless here at the Outward Bound directors house, but the electricity is going off any second. Bye for now.
Love, Em
Friday, November 6, 2009
Young Africa: Agri/Vocational School
Hello, Everyone. Hope you are all fine and enjoying school and work, and life!!
Here in Mozambique the ruling party, Frelimo, won the elections, surprising no one. There were many observers from the UN, different countries and each of the parties. It was peaceful and everyone had the day off. We saw very crowded voting stations at schools.
We visited the most wonderful vocational school called Young Africa. This school, started by a remarkable Dutch woman and her equally remarkable Indian husband is just outside of town. It is (almost) as fabulous as our Vocational School on Hogan Road! They teach cooking, sewing, building, computer repair, music production, auto repair, plumbing...all those skills essential to keeping society functioning. What was just bush 3 years ago is now a 3 acre campus with lovely buildings, all buzzing with good work. The students run a beautiful outdoor restaurant, where we ate Portuguese specialties.
The really neat thing is that Doreen and Raj started Young Africa in Zimbabwe 10 years ago. As soon as it was sustainable, well established, and running seamlessly, they handed it over to the Zimbabweans. It continues to do well. They hope to follow that model here and then start an agricultural vocational school on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
If anyone who goes to Voc is reading this, can I trouble you to tell Mr. Adams to google Young Africa? I’d love the teachers there to see their Mozambiquan counterpart! (Perhaps someone could forward this email to Voc? Thank you!!)
Learning skills, getting a good education, staying healthy, trying to get a job, is the pursuit we all have in common. If anyone at Voc could write a little piece about their course, how it is going, and what you hope to do with the skills, I could share it with the students in the same course at Young Africa. It would be so exciting to compare courses.
The students speak Portuguese, one of their own local African Languages, and are learning English. I can finally get a few words out of my mouth. If our AFS students have trouble with fatigue, depression, feelings of inferiority in discussions, shyness, all due to struggles to speak English, cut them a LONG LINE of slack. I am getting a first hand dose of all of that!!
Sending many Greetings!! Emily/ Ms. Wesson
Here in Mozambique the ruling party, Frelimo, won the elections, surprising no one. There were many observers from the UN, different countries and each of the parties. It was peaceful and everyone had the day off. We saw very crowded voting stations at schools.
We visited the most wonderful vocational school called Young Africa. This school, started by a remarkable Dutch woman and her equally remarkable Indian husband is just outside of town. It is (almost) as fabulous as our Vocational School on Hogan Road! They teach cooking, sewing, building, computer repair, music production, auto repair, plumbing...all those skills essential to keeping society functioning. What was just bush 3 years ago is now a 3 acre campus with lovely buildings, all buzzing with good work. The students run a beautiful outdoor restaurant, where we ate Portuguese specialties.
The really neat thing is that Doreen and Raj started Young Africa in Zimbabwe 10 years ago. As soon as it was sustainable, well established, and running seamlessly, they handed it over to the Zimbabweans. It continues to do well. They hope to follow that model here and then start an agricultural vocational school on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
If anyone who goes to Voc is reading this, can I trouble you to tell Mr. Adams to google Young Africa? I’d love the teachers there to see their Mozambiquan counterpart! (Perhaps someone could forward this email to Voc? Thank you!!)
Learning skills, getting a good education, staying healthy, trying to get a job, is the pursuit we all have in common. If anyone at Voc could write a little piece about their course, how it is going, and what you hope to do with the skills, I could share it with the students in the same course at Young Africa. It would be so exciting to compare courses.
The students speak Portuguese, one of their own local African Languages, and are learning English. I can finally get a few words out of my mouth. If our AFS students have trouble with fatigue, depression, feelings of inferiority in discussions, shyness, all due to struggles to speak English, cut them a LONG LINE of slack. I am getting a first hand dose of all of that!!
Sending many Greetings!! Emily/ Ms. Wesson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
