Nhimbe for Progress
Community Development - Improve Living Conditions

Huts - Toilets - Wells
    The floods from February 2000 Cyclone Eline and counting inclement weather has destroyed over 65 huts. This has affected 44% of the families in the adopted villages. Wells and toilets have also collapsed at 30% of the homes. The extreme poverty in Zimbabwe has made it difficult for the people to have wells and toilets so that now, due to the flood over 90% of the families have no toilets and over 80% have no wells for clean and safe drinking water. Our goal is to see every rural family with a toilet and well, in addition to helping rebuild flood-damaged huts. These are all basic necessities.

    We continue to work out the details on how to accomplish this in the midst of an economic collapse. Everyone involved, both in Zimbabwe and North America, want this project to be a joint effort. They will provide everything that a homeowner can possibly supply. We will help with the problem items; for example, cement is an expensive product, bricks, on the other hand, can be made in the villages.

Wood Stoves
    Depletion of cooking fuel is a serious problem all over Africa. The Mhondoro area is grassland, and so wood has never been an abundant resource. Wood is used, and has been used for centuries, to cook all meals using a fire pit in the center of the kitchen hut.

    The principles of an inexpensive stove (co-designed by Larry Winiarski from Corvallis, Oregon–and Aprovecho, Cottagegrove, Oregon) have great potential for reducing fuel costs in developing countries. We have been experimenting with its use in Zimbabwe and it has been received favorably. Women in the villages were already researching options when we came to offer ideas in March of 2000. Now there is a waiting list of families.

    Mr. Winiarski has been implementing programs in Honduras and Nicaragua with the help of Rotarians. Our estimate is that for $20 per unit, each family can have an efficient wood stove in their kitchen, which will reduce their wood consumption by about half.

    Consider the following:
• The females in the home are gathering less firewood (from the already depleting and seriously compromised wood supply) which gives them time to do something else.
• The females are spending less time in the kitchen cooking, freeing them up to do other things.
• The females and their babies are in the hut less ,and so will have less eye irritation from the smoke (its really unbelievable what they endure), as well as less respiratory complications.
• All cooking is done squatting over the fire and the females appreciate the new stoves height to stand (they still squat in the fields, and so we would expect that they will remain strong for childbearing).
• The women have worked with our original ideas, doing research and development for 4 years, and have a design they like.
• The women provide the bricks and all labor. We buy and provide transport for the metal for the top, get it cut with holes for the pots, and provide oxide for a nice looking finish (Shona women take a great deal of pride in there home's appearance).
• The entire family is subjected to less smoke, as the design is such that the smoke that is produce is consumed in the fire box, so overall family health improves.
• Kitchen sanitation during cooking is simpler when the women can see easily (the smoke distorts vision, and wasted heat coming off the fire, gives the cooking sanitation a lower priority simply by default...it's hard to focus on cleanliness in the midst of your eyes running and heat pouring off the flames).

Health and Medical
    Health and medical supplies are difficult to obtain, sometimes due to lack of availability, sometimes due to high cost. We are providing some simple supplies working through the Ministry of Health, Village Health Worker. We have provided NMT see Neuro-modulation Technique to some villagers with inspiring results. Due to increased use of insecticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and sanitizers the average person is exposed to chemicals affecting an already compromised immune system; this is true even in rural areas. We are working to educate about responsible use since the products are already part of mainstream rural life.

Business Micro-Loans
    Economic difficulties in Zimbabwe affect the rural families the most. These hardworking people have many skills and a desire to contribute to their communities but because of many circumstances, do not have the opportunity. Our goal is to create opportunity with small micro-loans. Current inflation in Zimbabwe is now unquoatable and changing daily. Zimbabweans and Ancient Ways agreed on no interest “soft” loans. The original goal (in 2000) was to provide a loan, which when paid back, provides another loan to a future entrepreneurial activity, but inflation would not allow this plan to materialize. We eventually hope that the international banking community sets up a village-banking program in Zimbabwe, with which we can work.

Permaculture Cooperatives
    Our goal is to get training in permaculture for one to two persons from each of the 7 villages. Our hope is that each person will get training in permaculture principles as well as training in their individual areas of expertise, including:

• Poultry
• Perennial fruits and orchard
• Woodlot (re-sprouting trees)
• Bee keeping
• Gardening
• Textiles &Crafts (for export)

    The training is aimed at helping people see the inter-relatedness of their particular cooperative projects as well as their responsibility to the earth. There is a permaculture training organization called Fambidzanai in Harare, Zimbabwe that we hope to network with to build a foundation for sustainable cooperatives.

    The use of expensive chemicals in many areas of life in Zimbabwe has grown dramatically over the years due to western influences and desire for progress. All of us on the planet need to focus on traditional ways that acknowledge nature. Ancient Ways wants to work together with others to remember those ways.

Tax Deductible Donations
    If you are interested in helping to improve the living conditions of the rural peoples of Zimbabwe, consider being involved with Nhimbe for Progress. Your fully tax deductible donation can be used to build huts, toilets and wells or assist a villager begin or enhance a business venture. Send your contribution to the address below payable to Ancient Ways. Any amount helps; every villager is affected by seeing progress!