RENEWED HOPE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, INC.

Working Together For Zimbabwe's Future

Dear Family, Friends and Friends we've not met,

Greetings from Zimbabwe. We crossed the border into Zimbabwe on January 26. As we approached the bridge there were trucks everywhere. They were lined up three abreast for as far as you could see. They were all waiting for clearance. We had to weave our way through the trucks and look out for oncoming traffic at the same time. Crossing the border is always a new set of challenges even after all the trips we have made.

On the drive from the border we found the country side very dry. The few livestock we saw were just bags of bones trying to graze on bare dirt. We saw few people and no crops growing. The grass this time of year is normally higher than ones head. The road had virtually no traffic, even as we approached Harare. As we neared the city we drove through several hard rain showers. Things seemed a bit greener as we approached closer to the city. We spent the night in Harare with Pastor Chigwida and Judy.

We arrived at the school on the 27th hoping we had enough diesel to get back to Harare. The teachers came to greet us and welcome us HOME. They quickly unloaded our truck. We were trying to figure out where to begin to settle in but kept being interrupted by people coming by to welcome us back. Just as I was thinking about something for dinner, the first of two big shipping containers arrived. It was quickly decided that it was too late to begin unloading the container as it would soon be dark. The unloading took place early the next morning. While we were unloading, the second container arrived. About 60 people from the community turned out to help unload. Since food is so difficult for them to afford, they were each given 5 kgs / 2.2 lbs of rice and 5 kgs / 2.2 lbs of beans.

The two containers were loaded in Colorado on the 19th of October. It has taken them more than three months to arrive, which is about the same as in the past. However, it took a long time from the time they arrived in Durban, SA until they reached Harare. I suspect they sat at the border for a month before they were allowed through. The good news is that everything was in good shape. In a couple of cases Hydrogen Peroxide bottles must have broken because some boxes were stained. Next time they should probably be packed in Ziploc bags as a precaution.

We are still trying to help the staff at the Feeding Center wade through and organize everything that was shipped. The feeding room is piled to the rafters. There is just enough room for a line of students to file through and receive their plate of food which they have to take outside to eat. When the plates come back to be washed there is not a speck of food on them. I have never seen plates licked clean like these are. As of today the center is feeding 190 children. Today, Ralph and I helped the center coordinator unbox the canned food, sort and shelve it. I am going to have to spend a lot of time with the cooks teaching them how to use the canned food. It is a totally new experience for them.

Wednesday and Thursday the Orphan Care Givers spent all day sorting, folding and stacking jeans into piles according to boys/girls sizes. A number of denim skirts and dresses were found. It is going to take some time to find places to shelve the clothes. We have already delivered one bale of jeans, which we divided between Inyangui and Guzha. I think we will probably be distributing more of what has been sorted and folded because of lack of storage space. No boxes of clothing have even been opened as yet.

We have found three large cooking pots that were shipped. It is something they needed so badly. We have only found a lid for the largest pot. I saw the cooks using it for the first time today. It worked very well. It is black on the outside now from the open fire but that can't be helped. Soon we plan to build an outdoor kitchen which will house a coal fired cook stove. I think it will be a long time before propane is again available. Right now Ralph and I have a part of a bottle of propane. It was what was left when we returned to the states last trip. However, it will soon be gone and then I think we will be cooking on an open fire ourselves. There is always a new challenge around every turn.

Our plan is to build an outdoor kitchen at Inyangui and Guzha Primary Schools for the purpose of feeding orphans. Guzha has already sent us a list of 121 orphans in their school. Of these 30 are living in child headed households. We still don't have a count on how many children will need to be fed. It takes time to complete each step. Our biggest challenge is going to be obtaining cement. Circle Cement Company closed their door yesterday. It is the main supplier of cement in Zimbabwe. This could mean that we will be unable to do any building. Somehow we will figure a way to feed these starving children, with or without a building. The rice and beans that we have plus the corn that is on the way will keep all three centers operating for this year. Next fall we will have to consider a new shipment of each.

Thank goodness for the truck that was obtained for the Orphan Care Center. It will make it possible to deliver food supplies to the other centers on a monthly basis.

The teachers have told us numerous times what a difference that food has made. Mrs. Bondeponde said that the children lose weight during school breaks but quickly regain it after school resumes. We are encouraging them to serve meals even during school holidays. Mrs. Bondeponde says that we will not see how bad things really were because of the difference the food has made. She has told us of cases where the children were just skin and bones. Many were not coming to school on a regular basis because they were too weak from the lack of food. In a meeting yesterday, we were told that the pass rate had gone from 53% to 85 % just since we started feeding children.

Tuesday, the community gathered to welcome us back. It was the largest turn out ever for such an event, probably 400 to 500 people. The meeting was held under the Mango Trees. At least we had shade. The weather has been extremely hot here. We feel it is the humidity that makes it seem so hot. We are enduring as best we can. Fortunately it cools enough at night that we are able to sleep. Unlike many areas of Zimbabwe, the area where we are has had some rain even though it began late and has been spotty. Some of the crops around the school look fair. There is concern that the rains will cease before the crops have reached maturity.

Wednesday, our friends came with a big truck to transport the things for Concessions Hospital, Howard Hospital and Concessions Secondary School. They couldn't get everything in one load and so will be back next week to get the rest. When the school was contacted that the things were at the hospital, they said the senior boys ran all the way from the school because they were so excited. It is amazing how much pleasure people get from things that are being discarded in the U.S. It is all things that are still very useable. The headmaster and a teacher from Cheunje Secondary School came to see us early this morning to thank us for the books we had shipped. Alice, please pass this on to the students that helped pack all those hundreds of boxes of books. They should know where the books ended up and what pleasure it has given the people. I'll try to send a picture later of the books in their library.

Unfortunately, the two teachers who planned to join us have cancelled their trip for now. This was due to the U.S. Government warning about travel to Zimbabwe. We do not feel any danger and it would have been ok for them to have come. Perhaps the warning was a political move. However, we monitor the situation closely.

I have had precious little computer time. There are so many more things to tell but guess you will have to wait until we return home.

In His Service, Ralph and Roberta.

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Renewed Hope Charitable Foundation, Inc. | a 501(c)(3) charity | P.O. Box 1476 | Castle Rock, Colorado | 80104-1476