Harare tour like no other

I began my goodbyes to Thomas and Steffi my friends from Germany.  I then attended a religion class for form 3A4, which translates into a junior in HS level.  Isaac Fernandez a Jesuit scholastic led a discussion about after life both in Catholic tradition and the ATR (African traditional religion).
Sr Dominica & Fr Mark Hacket arrived just before teatime at Makumbi.  They both were worked at Makumbi for many years and are good friends of Jane and Philip.  We tour around the mission and they shared stories of the past.
We ventured over to preschool for a final mobbing and singing of We are the children.  We need food.  We need clothing.   We need shelter.  We need education.  We need exercise.  But most of all we need love.

We shared lunch with the Jesuits and the departed for Harare.  Fr Mark proceeded to provide a tour that I guarantee no tourist gets.  We headed to the most opulent neighborhood where those who are insiders to the ruling party live.  These dwellings make Pittock Mansion look small.  We went then thru a rich but less opulent area.  We turned up by the racehorse track.  A shanty village had reappeared after only months ago been mowed down by the government in the middle of the night.  To bring stark contrast in directly across the road the was a home under construction which was 3 levels high, brick and stone in the design of the Great Zimbabwe.  Mark was not done yet though.. We headed to Imbare the slum area of Harare.  At some time in the past 10-15 story high dormitories were built intending to house only one person, but families the size of 10 were now occupying the space.  It was a gruesome sight with raw sewage flowing in the street. 
But the saving grace was ending at Harare Central and getting to see Tinotenda one more time before leaving Zimbabwe.  I happily found him standing in the hall holding on to a chair.  I was greeted with a big smile and hug.  I doubt he recognized me, but this is his response to getting attention.  It was again difficult to peal Tino off but knowing that soon he will have a new home in L’Arche made it much easier to leave. Sr Dominica has now been enlisted into my check in on Tino army.
Thursday before leaving for the airport we made a trip to L'Arche Zimbabwe.  They have just completed a second home.  We got a tour and met some of the core members..  The director Alice knows Dominica and will expidide Tino's move.  It did help that she knows there is money coming once he is moved in.  I'm sure it will be a signifiant adjustment, leaving the only place he has known since 3 months old.  I am confident that in a L'Arche community Tino will grow and reach his potential, and the community will be enriched by his spirit, smile and hugs.

Sunrise @ Makumbi

My 05:30 perch near satlelite dish

Last Day at Makumbi

This was my last full day at Makumbi Mission.  While I knew from Jane and Philip that I wanted to come to Makumbi...I did not anticapate how powerful an experience it would be.  I can draw comparisons to both St Mary's Alaska where I was as a JVC in the mid 70's and my trips to Peru, but there has been something totally African and unique to my experience here in rural Africa.  I can feel it but I am not sure I can yet put words to it.  I can safely say Africa has drawn me in.  I hope and anticipate this won't be my last trip to Africa.  There are many doors along the way on our journey of life, I am happy I opened this door and came to Zimbabwe.  Certainly there are many things one can say about life in Zimbabwe: failed state, beauty, wild animals, oppression, poverty, dictator,  sun, ....but I will remember the spirit and voices of the people joyfully singing.  And the desperate embraces of the orphaned children.
I will forever remember Tinotenda.
Tozonana Zimbabwe
(Until we meet again Zimbabwe in Shona)

Monday in Makumbi...kids, baskets and strong women

The 8th graders and 12th graders are writing thier national exams this week and next which determines future coaurse work in high school and entrance into university.  Makumbi has taken a quiet and serious turn.  @ 06 in AM you will find students lined up in front of the groto in prayer.  I again spent my morning with the preschoolers.  The teacher is amazing 43 kids today...we sent one back to the home because of suspected measles...that will make the next weeks here interesting.
In the afternoon a grounds keeper was so happy to find me, on my first day at Makumbi i had asked if there were local people making baskets and carvings.  He brought a women from a not so close village.  I have two beautiful baskets, she asked $3.00 for each.  I had to run back to my room to get cash so I folded up 10 and placed it in her hand.

Jeffery a retired professor from U of Wis Maddison brought me down to the womens cooperative to meet Paula.  WOW!  The women have literally built a training center for in the begining just women to learn skills from carpentry ( check out the hand made coffins), peanut butter, micro fiance, organizing, basic buissness management, batik.  They had immpressive flow charts on the wall regading projects.  One project is combatting gender violence.  As the women earn their own income they begin to even the playing field and become less dependent.  They have also included men in the trainings to decrease the risk of violence..All on $20,000 a year.

Tinotenda

Today I finally was able to connect with the director of L’Arche.  After3 failed email attempts; I was able to reach Alice by phone.  Three is the magic number because it also took 3 calls.
L’Arche has just completed the assessment and application process.  Tinotenda is scheduled to move to an L’Arche home on Nov 10.  The spirit works in mysterious ways.  I will leave some money to assist L’Arche in caring for Tino I invite anyone who would also like to donate to contact me.   I am overjoyed at this development.  I simultaneously fell in love and was heart broken with Tino at Harare Central Children’s Hospital where he has lived since he was abandoned at age 3 months.  Most of the time he was in his crib in a room by himself.  The sisters (nurses) were too busy to attend to Tino.
Visiting Tino became a daily activity while I was Harare Central.  Each day we expanded our world together.  Eventually getting outside on two occasions. I was determined to hug him every day, but deep down my goal was to get him out of the hospital.
 I headed to Makumbi mission with the goal of exploring the possibility of Tino coming here.  But it became clear as I explored this option with Fr Mueller that Makumbi was not the best solution.  Fr Mueller asked if I knew of L’Arche? And yes I have been involved with L’Arche in Portland.  The small world took hold.  Another volunteer has been involved with L’Arche had the phone number for Alice the director, Isaac the Jesuit scholastic’s father is involved with L’Arche here in Zimbabwe…..long story short the wheels had already begun to turn.
I will leave Zimbabwe with a lighter heart

The rains have come finally

Last evening I was treated to a fierce  thunder and lightening storm.  The dry earth of Africa tried to soak up the water but most pooled on top.  It has been since April when the last rains fell.  So every one is joyful.  The rains are about 2 weeks late this year.

SUNDAY

Sunday
The children began to rehearse for mass at 05:30.  Since I was going with Fr Mueller to the out station villages I was not planning on attending but I can’t resist the African voices.
I grabbed my camera and again recorded the singing.  I can’t describe the experience of African singing, and I’m sure my recordings won’t do justice.
Sunday we had eggs for breakfast and brown bread..A treat.
Fr Mueller was saying a second mass after breakfast so we waited for him to finish before leaving for (Mshabora ) The truck was filled with 14 people in the bed of the truck.  They took pity on the old person and I got to ride up in the cab.  The church we were going to was about 40 k.  We passed many out stations on the way. . Out stations are the decentralized parts of the mission parish.  We arrived to the singing having already begun.  Before getting inside we had to shake hands with about 50 people.  Again the singing was amazing.  It is hard to determine exactly when the services starts and ends, because the singing and witness talks just keep going.  3 hours later we stepped out of the church, to another round of hand shakes.
There was another level of poverty here and many more elderly people.  Today an elderly woman gave the witness talk about her deceased husband.  Despite the language barrier I could feel the emotion of he talk.  After she sat down she continued to wipe her face of tears.
As we returned to the truck there was a new batch of passengers.  Steffi and I were asked to walk so the family could direct Fr to the gravesite for a blessing.  Some young people escorted us through the fields a short cut if you will.  When we arrived they were singing and poring water over the cement graves.  At the completion we crossed the field to the home.  Fr and Steffi and I were escorted inside to places of honor.  We were served food and drink.  We were given mounds of rice, a small chicken wing and some sauce over the rice and a watered down orange drink.
I felt so honored to participate in such an intimate family event especially being white and not speaking Shona.
Fr Mueller shared in Shona what I had been doing the previous 2 weeks in Harare.  One of the family members has a daughter with an unrepaired cleft lip.  So I promised to alert the family through Fr Mueller of the dates when Operation of Hope returns in August.  So my coming was a gift to me and a gift to this family.

Sisters, Vistas & path finders

Saturday in Makumbi

Saturday at Makumbi.   A quieter day at the mission.  Thomas a young man from Germany is also staying at Makumbi.  This is his second trip to Zimbabwe.  He just completed his student teaching in Germany and hopes to stay for at least one year if not forever.  He volunteered to accompany me on a walk out to one of the villages outside the mission.
We had no real plan we just went in a direction.  As it was we arrived at the Makumbi Hospital.  We were not allowed to tour because the Matron (head nurse) was not there.  But we had a nice visit with the two sisters (nurses).  Interestingly one of the sisters wanted to come to rich America.  This she imagined would allow her to have a house a car an education for her children.  She was surprised to hear that many people in USA with lots of stuff are not happy.  She works full time and makes $150 a month.  The cost of goods in Zimbabwe is not much different than in the states.  This gives a new definition to working poor.  Physicians make a similar salary, only they have more opportunity to work multiple jobs to support their families.  They pay back their educational costs through service at government hospitals like Harare Central.
We continued on down to the main road for a bit then took a right on a path heading to the mountain.  There had been a recent fire so the scramble up the granite rock was blackened.  Thomas and I looked like coal miners!  But the vista was worth the charcoal experience.  We watched a family of baboons scamper across the field we had just transversed.  We had an aerial view of the straw roofed shacks in the village.
We found a less steep decent, since we scramble up on all fours.  As we reached the base of the rock we passed two dwellings, we decided to inquire about the best path to the mission.  The three kids and 4 dogs greeted us warmly.  I noticed the name  carved into the door.  Thomas then realized this was the home of a man who works at the mission, whom he had visited earlier.  On the way up the mountain Thomas had told me the story of a man and his family.
The man's sister’s husband had died of HIV.  She and her children were desperate to survive.  She turned to prostitution and alcohol.  Still life was difficult financially.  He built a second house next to his and moved his sister to Makumba village.  She had contracted HIV either from her husband or in a life of prostitution.  She unfortunately continued this life style, frequently bringing a man home in front of the kids.  She also was prone to beating the children.  One day after witnessing this he beat her.  She reported him and he got in trouble with the law.  Luckily there were people able to stand up for him.  The chance that these children will become prematurely sexually active, drink and turn to violence and perpetuate this destructive circle is very high.  Yet these same children showed compassion and concern as we took the wrong path from their house.  They ran after us and led us to the road.  Life in rural Zimbabwe mostly leads to a dead end…..but the human spirit is a powerful thing maybe these kind kids will get a break..Let’s hope

The youngest at Makumbi

This baby has only been here for 2 months.  He came with an infection on the skin of his chest.  When clothing is hung out to dry larva embed in the fabric, the burrow under the skin.  So laundry here geys ironed to kill the larva.