Ancient Ways Zimbabwe Field Report, October 2007 Dear Friends of Zimbabwe, Warm greetings from our American soil! This Field Report is coming later than intended. We had a series of unanticipated events that changed any planned normalcy for these last 6 weeks. At the same time that all manner of the unexpected poured into-and-out-of the listserv that was designed to support the Field Report distribution, all three of the vehicles that we had access to on the other side of the world, stopped running. While Audrey in our office was working with the internet provider on why the "moderating" function did not work properly by stopping posting to the list by anyone but us, Conni, Laura and I were in Mhondoro without transport, looking at our list of things to do, and, by this time, creating plan C. I'm unsure whether we will continue with the use of our server's list option in the future. It was presented as an alternative to save wear and tear on the sanity of maintaining bouncing e-mail addresses for the Field Report. In any case - the irony of having everything in Zimbabwe go belly-up at the same time as here in Oregon, gives pause. How interconnected are the unseen threads of the tapestry? Is there any information in all of this to enlighten us? We just keep plodding along, looking for the next best solution to each given dilemma, which, by the way, we apologize for any inconvenience this caused you, and ask that you forward the Field Report to anyone you know would like to read it but could not take the difficulties that were generated. We, on Zimbabwean soil, were quite oblivious to any issue on this side of the world and were facing our own set of concerns. The short version HEALTH CENTER CLOSURE - The Health Center was still closed as we left Zimbabwe with a proposed visit by the District - but only if we can provide them transport. MEDICAL EMERGENCY - Takesure Musarurwa, our oldest Nhimbe staff in charge of the Educational Program, needs surgery immediately for a malignant parotid gland tumor. He is being given a loan to accomplish this at the private hospital (for the privileged few). Are you able to help his family with these costs? Literally, his only other option is to return home to die. EDUCATION and YOUR LETTERS - Thank you for the letters you sent to your sponsored children. We used them as the focus of a workshop for each school, sharing by using maps, their sponsor's locations, and some English study provided by your pen, ink and paper. BEST LAID PLANS - The Administrative team was finally all in one room but it took until our 6th week to pull everyone together. One thing and then another created many challenges that thwarted holding a sense of cohesion as an operating team. There was still a strong Nhimbe none-the-less. LOANS, LOANS, LOANS - We loaned near 1 billion zim dollars to staff, craftspeople and a village representative to buy practical profit-making tools, animal investments, and over 220 bags of cement for home improvements. NATURE AND HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL - Watching the evolution of consciousness and the nature of progress is exhilarating, comforting, and is like a thermometer reflecting a very healthy Nhimbe for Progress. Self-reliant projects were springing out of the ground! FUNDRAISING - Thank you for all that you do to tell the story, raise awareness, and help with our fund raising! Look for our upcoming fall letter regarding next year's plans. IN SUMMARY - Many thanks to Laura and Conni for an incredible bit of teamwork, soft-shoe when needed, as well as breaking out the axes and buckets to chop wood and carry water, chop wood and carry water. Thanks also to you for your interest, compassion, and concern for the Shona people. The longer version HEALTH CENTER CLOSURE Last report we had just welcomed Laura into the team and were preparing for an intense month of work. Conni and I had figured out the terrain for how things were working (getting supplies, etc.) and once Laura arrived, we headed for Mhondoro. As we arrived I was presented with the official closure notice for the Health Center, as we previously received just a verbal message stating we must close our doors. Laura and I were keen on getting her, as a nurse, involved in observation and procedural suggestions since the multitudes were flocking and I could see the staff really needed help getting organized so that Fredreck was not overwhelmed as the only officially trained person on premises. But, alas, that was not going to happen. Donhodzo actually remained closed all month. We came up with Plan B. We tended to a few children, staff or family friends here and there, but we were not open to the public. We moved all related supplies to storage to avoid confusion. We did a small amount of alternative medicine trainings, were unable to do any planned village health education workshops, but had a great meeting with our newly trained masseuse Abigail (Laura managed to bring a massage table that had been in the works for years). By the end of the year Abigail will be ready to be "in attachment" to an employer and so we will have her coming on Fridays for the next 6 months. Because this is an unknown idea for most Shona people we agreed she could begin with some focus on reflexology on hands and feet as that will culturally be much more accepted. That requires no undressing but can still get at deep issues. Also, the elderly who are suffering the most will be very receptive to trying some modern ideas their backs and legs, so she may begin with them too. She really needs to just get her hands on folks. Fred spent the month tracking down the whys and wherefores behind the closure. After all was said and done, and a long story later, the final step was to have the district office personnel come and look at the site. The lengthy and convoluted story between the closure letter coming from a department without authority, and the department who truly had responsibility not having our paperwork, just added a typical rabbit-hole chase to the ensuing theatrical scene. We waited on the special day and the District did not arrive. Again, Fred moved about and finally made contact (cell phone coverage is not easily available everywhere), finding out that there were no transport options to be had. Things would only progress if we went to pick the officials up and brought them to our area. So, we are planning this to take place within the next 2 weeks. I am very optimistic that this will help immensely as providing the truck and fuel made all the difference the year we experienced the Community Center break-in when we had to help the police track down the thieves by providing a vehicle with petrol. I have no idea what the District expectations are for buildings, equipment, attire, etc. but know that our staff, supplies, and environment are highly conducive to success, hope, and healing. The entire of Zimbabwe is struggling with health care, as is all of Africa. Zimbabwe actually had the best health care system in all of Africa 30 years ago. Now this week the two government hospitals in Harare are on strike. The wages are meager, the supplies are nil, and the sanitation/hygiene provisions are deplorable. The private hospitals are still in operation as they charge what they like. The most disturbing part of the scenario is that the average person can not afford the private hospitals and so when faced with needing any medical help are forced to return home to allow the disease or injury to finish their life. This is not an exaggeration, and is so very sad. (Thanks again to any of you who donated towards Matilda's surgery!) The anesthesiologist works until 1 p.m. at the government hospital which means if the operation takes longer or is scheduled any other time than morning, there is no anesthesia and hence, no operation. Day after day, the cycle continues. It costs a near dear $200 USD to retain this specially trained person and so the government hospitals are not doing much in the way of operations these days. All funds to pay for any operation, services, and hospital stay are now being demanded at the very beginning, before admittance. This way they are definitely paid for their services. But it doesn't allow anyone to make payments towards a final bill. This explains why the morgues and cemeteries are over crowded. In Mhondoro there are clinics and a rural hospital but they have no basic supplies either. The St. Michael's Mission Hospital, which in its day was one of the best, is also without. They were often referring people to our little Health Center as we had sourced supplies. The government had started to supply anti-retro virals (ARVs) for people with AIDS and had promised to give St. Michael's an abundance of this sought after commod ity. One difficulty is that the hospital does not do a CD-4 count test but instead uses symptoms as a deciding factor. This might be fine except taking an ARV is a life determining decision - once you start taking an ARV your natural immune system ceases functioning properly and you must take ARVs the rest of your life. If you are not consistent in ARV application, you die. Unfortunately, too many people were put on the free ARVs, without adequate tests to determine that they were required, and the government has stopped with a regular supply, so desperate people are confronted with finding transport to another location to search out a supply plus finding money to pay for them. An argument in favor of ARVs would state that the people would die anyway if they didn't get them, but that isn't true, as there are alternative options to support life when a person is HIV+. The real question is, has someone truly gone beyond HIV+ into AIDS? That is where adequate testing is needed and a conservative approach must prevail. MEDICAL EMERGENCY One of our staff, Takesure Musarurwa, one of the two who had the opportunity to go to Kenya 2 years ago (he and Charles Muungani) as part of a GSM training effort to help manage the growing humanitarian project in Mhondoro, has been taken ill. Takesure has been with Nhimbe since the first year in 2000. He began by helping with the Education Program and chairing the Village Representatives. He now runs the Educational Program only, as it is a large undertaking including school sponsorships, and the library, as well as assisting Charles, as the Financial Manager apprentice, in all things. Upon our arrival, Takesure presented with a serious swelling on the right side of his face around his ear. As it turned out, he has a malignant tumor in the parotid (saliva) gland. His surgery is scheduled for this next week. >From the start, the first step was to convince him he must seek medical care. After watching their health systems deteriorate over the years and losing many loved ones, he was horrified considering the idea. By the time I arrived in Zimbabwe, our Nurse, Fredreck, had helped him through NMT counseling to find his way to a doctor. He was taking antibiotics, first one kind, and then another. After a series of doctor visits, the final step was a recommendation to go to a private hospital as the general government hospital for the average person could not help him. He was faced with the current Zimbabwean dilemma - return home and die, or pay money you don't have. I explained that we could loan him the money to pursue the private hospital option. The regular government hospitals are more like a prison, are a desperate place, and can't even be considered. So his next step was a biopsy. That gave us all the needed information about this growth that had changed the right side of his face. Next he was scheduled for an x-ray and CT scan. This was on a Tuesday at the best hospital in Harare, where only the privileged with enough foreign money walk through the front door. He waited all day, but due to a lack of electricity returned on Wednesday. Again, the end of Wednesday came, and there was still no electricity. By the end of Thursday, the hospital staff had given up hope of having electricity and sent him home to return the following week. At this point, his tumor was continuing to worsen, which I'm sure the stress didn't help, and he had to return home to Mhondoro to wait. The entire next week passed with one issue or another. We were leaving for USA the following Monday and were told he just needed to come with the anesthesiologist's near $200 fee. In a country where $1 will buy a 5 gallon bucket of maize this would be a stretch beyond reach for the normal person. He delivered that fee to the front desk on the big day, but was told that he must show that he could pay the entire amount that was close to $800 USD. (By the way, we made a point to not let the hospital know that foreigners were assisting him, just to make sure the prices were justified...like when we go to the market and they see our white faces and raise the cost of the items of which we inquire.) That was quite a blow. He must have misunderstood their explanation on the payment system. By this point he had already diligently paid all bills for the consultation, medicines, and biopsy. He had even personally delivered his own biopsy tissue to the appropriate clinic for testing and evaluation. He left town without much hope although, I had given him my word that he would be loaned the money he needed. He returned home to be with his family. He has a wife and 4 children, ranging from an infant that is still on his mother's back to Blessing Musarurwa in Form 1, Letwin in Grade 5, and Believe in our Nhimbe Preschool. Maybe you are sponsoring one of their children? We are anxiously waiting to hear how things are going. If you are moved to help Takesure and Mary cover these medical expenses, please don't hesitate. In a country without insurance, without adequate medicines or medical staff, and without much hope, we hold a vision of compassion, effective assistance, and belief in works that are not dependent upon only physical reality. We just can't let the apparent solidity of the physical world deter our optimism that tenaciously holds a focused passionate fire for truth, transformation and healing. Takesure is like Matilda, who just 6 months ago, could have been another person left to die. In her case, many of you donated towards her care and today she is strong, vibrant, and happy, and her family and community are so very grateful. She is now back on her feet, and able to walk by herself, although, her pending surgery and the outcome also seemed ominous. Takesure's contributions to the formation and strength of Nhimbe have been considerable, always working hard. He deserves this respect, the dignity of proper care, and our full appreciation. There is no other alternative for an old and dear friend such as him. Additionally, he is highly receptive and responds very well to NMT (see www.nmt.md ) as we have been offering this wonderful complementary alternative approach every chance we get (everything from specific symptom relief, to groundwork for surgery through some follow-up preparation). We used every opportunity. Sometimes we would drive to make a house call, although because the car could not make it to his hut as there was no road, we would park nearby and tell the neighbor children in the field to go and fetch him and then we would sit together in the car doing NMT. He felt completely encircled with love and competency and was so grateful for our presence. Fredreck, training himself in his hut at night, and having shared treatments during my visit, will be doing follow-ups, as will some trained practitioners on the North American side who may be moved to donate remote work. Fredreck just phoned today to tell me about a child in the hospital whom he offered NMT and he returned in 24 hours to find the child back to playing with friends. This gives me great hope that we actually have tools to work with that can at least try to make up for the failings of the current system. I'm not claiming God-like powers but am declaring that intentional intervention just like prayer cuts through the most profound appearing difficulties and relief is certain. Please direct your prayers on behalf of Takesure and his family, for skilled surgeons, pleasant uplifting nurses and soul-deep healing. And if you are able to offer financial assistance, please do that as well. We are all holding this Light for this situation. EDUCATION and YOUR LETTERS Once again we went to our schools. We didn't take pictures or retrieve their annual letter, because we had done this in March, but we did deliver any letters that you sent. Thank you to those of you who wrote. There are about 20% of the sponsored children who receive letters from this side. This time we tried something a little different. Instead of taking things to the other 80% to try and make up for the loss, we organized a little workshop. (Giving the other 80% something has actually been confusing and sometimes they think someone else has sponsored them.) Conni suggested using our maps and helping them see where their sponsors live. I didn't have a list, but know many of you personally, or found the city in the letter content, so we were able to share with them. We began with a world map to give them the big picture. Unfortunately, many schools did not have one. Often we used Laura's reference pages in her little planner. We showed the classroom the world as it appeared on that 8" page. They found Africa and Zimbabwe for us. I explained that the blue color was not the sky, but the ocean. Most of these kids have no idea what the ocean is except from pictures or books, but they nodded. We described our journey from the US to Africa and how it took almost 2 days. We ate dinner, slept, woke up and had breakfast, all up there in the sky in one of those planes you see. One primary child asked if the planes have toilets. That was clear we were all on the same page. Then we focused on the US map and where the donors lived who wrote their letters. We used a wonderful laminated US map that one of you had donated so it nicely handled the wear and tear of going from school to school. After the map exercise we grouped the children together with the eldest in each of the groups. We asked them to share their letter, with the older children, a teacher, or ourselves, helping with the English. I again shared a story about Cosmas as a younger man, receiving his first letter from Paul Berliner, and how he read it again and again to achieve more mastery of the English language, trying to impress upon them that this letter from you, was a doorway, an opportunity, to learn, to excel, to propel them forward. This was the most fun I've ever had at the schools. Without the pressure of obtaining photos and letters, but just sharing in learning, we all enjoyed ourselves a great deal. BEST LAID PLANS After the car was repaired we began looking at formulating Plan D. It was becoming apparent that very little was coming together as planned. By this time I realized that I had some respiratory flu that was not letting go, and that as the days were going by and we had made many substitute plans to accommodate for the variety of the unexpected, a number of things were not going to get accomplished. Finally, the very last week, my full administrative team was present, except for one person. I had been in Zimbabwe for 5 weeks and had not been able to sit with everyone together in one room! Disjointed is the only term I can think of to describe the essence of the experience. Takesure had been dealing with his medical concerns, Fredreck had been working on the Health Center closure issue, Benita had delivered a wonderful baby boy (named John after Papa John, my godfather, they came to know and love on our March trip), and Isaac had left to Bulawayo to take care of some orphans that he had acquired due to family deaths. Matilda, my adopted mother, had been taken care of in town this whole time as the follow-up for her surgery, and so I wasn't seeing her daily like usual, and able to give her our extra food at dinnertime. Nothing was normal! But finally, we managed to meet and were all together except Efilda, our Inventory Control person, who was at a funeral. Conni and Laura decided they could tackle trips to town to finish finding supplies, checking email, and getting the pictures of Beauler Dyoko's children, as we were scheduled to photo them as newly included children in the Nhimbe sponsorship program. They went to town on two different days to finish up all these loose ends, leaving me to get some time alone, and get some time with my team. Only four of Beauler's children showed up for their pictures but we were able to accomplish everything else. By the way, if you have a special place in your heart for Beauler and her children, please email! We took on this extra sponsorship with the faith that there are many of you who know her and would be honored to help her, even though we are currently over-sponsored with more children than sponsors overall. I'm sure this will work itself out eventually, but if you know of anyone interested in a sponsorship, please turn them on to our great program! We opened up our preschool to 70 more children in June from surrounding villages but didn't have sponsors for them - we are still paying the teachers, feeding them and providing all the services. Thank you. The administrative team and I had a wonderful workshop with a focus on budgeting and planning. It took two mornings. We spent several hours. We built bridges between our cultures trying to understand all the problems on the one side and then the other. The daily change of the exchange rate is the closest thing I know to Wall Street. I don't understand anything about stocks and bonds and commodities, but I do "get it" when the rates change daily, watching the implications of that. We spent hours sorting out ways for them to budget each month as they need to request funds for operations. The most profound thing is that for years now, the cost of a fish is still the cost of a fish. Even though it may cost 1,200,000 zim this week, but was 400,000 zim a month ago, it still costs $1.50 USD and it did 5 years ago too. Most items in the market are connected to the "forex" and prices follow that. This exploration was shadowed with the continual advice that the minute you get zim cash you have to spend it on something because the paper holds no value, but a physical thing does...even if you sell the thing later...it will carry some value. LOANS, LOANS, LOANS Never in my life have I experienced so many people with such sincere open requests for help. Maybe it was the season...we are heading into the rainy summer season and many people wanted cement. Without cement you can't build a toilet, a well, or a hut. And here it was, the end of the dry season and they not only wanted to improve their situation, but maybe they finally realized that their wages kept including bonuses that were substantial, and that they could probably afford to pay back a loan. For quite some time we have been working hard to help their wages keep up with inflation. When we arrived the parallel market rate was $280,000 zim to 1 USD. When we left it was $800,000 and when we were back in the states it was $870,000. You can see that if we did not give them a bonus they would be starving like the average person. It took Cosmas and I a couple of years to see a clear solution to this situation. We tried an experiment last year, loaning money to two staff, Takesure for a well, and Febby, the lead preschool teacher, for a toilet. One thing was that we wanted to see what it takes to manage these building projects as we have less experience with them because they each run about $200 USD. We haven't been able to build very many compared to huts, which we've rebuilt around 50 now. We also wanted to see how much an individual family can contribute to their own building project when it's up to them, and how it worked to have the loan payment come out of their monthly wages. It all worked fine. And now almost everyone on staff was asking! The experiment was a success but it was like a Petri dish in a warm room which had mushroomed. Additionally, there were a few of the export craftspeople that we have worked with regularly for several years, and one of the village representatives with steady business, who also wanted loans. We ended up with loans for one hut, 2 hand-operated sewing machines, 1 hand-operated peanut grinding machine for a new peanut co-operative, 2 batches of chickens (broilers and layers) plus feed, 1 bicycle for the preschool teacher who comes from far away, four donkeys for plowing to provide for the addition of orphans in the family of a guard, 1 door frame, 6 sheets asbestos for a roof (even though asbestos is the norm in Zimbabwe this was not without a stern lecture about its dangers and commitment from the homeowner to put in a ceiling), roof thatching (the traditional alternative to asbestos), and over 220 bags of cement primarily for building housing but also a well and toilet! We loaned money to at least 23 people, including Takesure for his medical costs. This was an expense I had not planned and so we dipped into savings that was set aside for next year's operations. Most of these loan payment plans will be cleared within the year by being paid back with their monthly wages. This totaled nearly 1 billion zim dollars and was a huge commitment on everyone's part. It really reflects the level of stability to which Nhimbe has grown, the level of communication and approachability we have, and mutual respect for the processes that we share. One last loan request I was unable to fill, but would, if someone would be interested in supporting it, was for a guitar. If you have ever bought sculpture from us, you will find that most of it comes from the Tendai's. Charles Tendai began carving many years ago and then taught all his siblings and their wives. Now this family has a trade that can feed their families. Charles is interested in carving less, due to the proliferation of dust, coughing, and his lung health. He is rather talented with music, so is asking for a guitar that he could pay back with his carvings over time. He is a good risk; we just didn't have the time or money to look. We found he had a makeshift guitar, made out of an old empty square can from cooking oil, some old guitar strings and a recycled guitar length for the fret area. He was able to make great music that I recognized from the radio with that improvised piece of equipment...I was amazed. Anyone interested in helping Charles get a guitar? NATURE AND HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL We at Nhimbe, both in the states, and in Zimbabwe, continue to till the soil. We keep weeding and creating space for an envisioned garden of cultural prosperity, community, and evolution. Sometimes we can't really do more than weed because of the entire drama, the trauma, and the sticks thrown into the wheels of progress. But we do remove thistles, keep supporting water close by, and maintain a basic edifying tending. In the last 8 months I have seen more growth, more fertility, and more natural organic spontaneous sprouting, than ever before. In February/March we watched as the Youth Well Being Program began its own formation. We chimed in with the little resources needed (sashes, badges, and hats for instance). During my absence over the last 6 months the young girls were mentored by a talented craftswoman while they knitted teddy bears of all sizes for the preschool. These youngsters were connecting with the little ones as community, while learning an art. That was an incredible gift to see. Then we were able to utilize felt that Laura brought (with a few sheets from Robin) and some donated embroidery floss to help their mentor work with them on a little pouch to carry their projects. Some of them embroidered their family totems. They all enjoyed themselves immensely. Laura left an instruction book with copies for all to share and the girls are now working on an arm patch for preschoolers so that there is some practical, once again community-connected, project to enjoy. The very youngest Girl Guides are called Sunbeams and are preschoolers. We haven't implemented that program but thought the patch idea would give them a special connection. Robin Truesdale, who was with us at the beginning of the trip, had fund-raised for a solar upgrade for the Health Center, and when more funds than required for the job came in, we put the funds to the Youth Well Being Program, and designed t-shirts for all of the children participating. The team spirit was soaring the day they were handed out, and I want to thank all of you who helped with that fundraising. This was a level of funds I could not have dreamt of sourcing for these kids (boys and girls) but it was just the shot in the arm they needed during these times when there is scarcely food on their families' tables. There were also three other new things that appeared on the scene. There was a bread-making cooperative, a dovi making cooperative (peanut butter) and merchants traveling to Botswana for supplies. The bread makers were having trouble finding flour (as you have heard bread was no where to be found and flour as well). We managed to locate enough wheat to last the preschool until next spring from our regular source. We agreed with the bread makers to provide them wheat that they can buy so they would make buns for our preschoolers once a week. Our own preschool cooks will make bread once a week too and this way the children will have some wheat twice a week. This was a good arrangement for all involved. The dovi making group was called Tasuinura (not sure of this spelling as some of the women wrote it differently). This means "we have awakened". The name was so very interesting and appropriate. It was great to see these women working together, trying so very hard to feed their families. There were no peanuts locally due to poor harvest so two of them traveled quite a distance by bus to buy enough peanuts. We purchased the peanuts, covered the transport, and then paid them to make peanut butter for the preschool. They weren't quite able to move forward without that help. They made good tasting and hygienic dovi so everyone was pleased. Next year they all plan to grow peanuts! We are offering peanut butter twice a week to 140 preschoolers. (Other days the children have wheat, beans, maize, rice, dried fish supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables from our Community garden and family donations to provide variety). The number of people now traveling to Botswana to purchase food is along the lines of how we used to hear about women going to South Africa to sell their wares. The food prices in Botswana are lower. I was told that some of the items found there actually are coming from Zimbabwe, but are cheaper in Botswana. It makes no sense at all, but not much does. So we were blessed by someone who was going, but needed a loan to make the trip to invest in more quantity. When she returned she repaid the loan outright, marked up her goods, and made a profit to feed her family. We were able to easily get cooking oil, petroleum jelly, rice, and soap for the preschool, and cooking paraffin (like kerosene) to be in stock for my next trip. This saved our staff a lot of effort getting the vehicle and petrol for the transport, and then looking around town, plus she came home with everything, which normally we return home partially empty-handed needing to make a trip another time. Gratefully, the nature-of-life evolves and invents our solutions, nurtures natural development, feeds empowerment, and promotes progress...we just need to help keep the space free of weeds that encroach, provide a little water of encouragement, and watch the garden grow. FUNDRAISING We are continually on the tin-cup trail. I want to thank the many of you that take the extra time and steps to help generate funds and ideas to help these people. Your efforts do not go unnoticed, by any of us, and I only wish I had more time to share personally with you how your time creates value that is really understood when you see the smile on their faces, their gratitude for the help, their pride in their work and achievements. You are a key part of this wheel that keeps moving through the very thick and sometimes treacherous soil, threatening to break whatever may try to pass that way. We hold firm with determination guiding towards the original vision regardless of what calamities place themselves on our path. We thank you for your own commitments. Together we are really forging something very intimate, special, and profound. The next time you hear from me will be in our annual fall letter when we summarize where we are all headed for next year. Please feel free to contact me by phone if you ever want to discuss any forward-thinking ideas for sharing the story, raising awareness of the efforts, or just plain and simple fundraisers. We are always open to talking (actually it's much easier than e-mail). We are a 501(c) 3 charitable organization and if your employer has an employee matching fund then anything you donate will be matched by them...a number of people have taken this approach and it doubled their commitment. I look forward to hearing back from you. IN SUMMARY This 6 weeks went by quickly in some ways and in others, it seemed like a long hike in the desert - so many rough spots to overcome, the weather itself remaining dry, and the soil without rains for so long. My own being was parched a bit by numerous trials and I learned a tremendous number of things about myself, the nature of life, and my environment this time around. I'm continually amazed at the effervescent endurance of the Shona people, continuing with brightness, happy playful natures, and heart-warming kindness, even in the midst of this long and arduous journey they are making. They inspire a rich soul-felt response. Those who share in their music understand this experientially. Those who read about their lives are touched by the profundity of it all. I am forever grateful for all of these experiences and the opportunity to write about them. Without this pen in hand, I wouldn't have a way to understand my own circuitry's melting point. I wouldn't be able to comprehend the heart-searing sights that I'm privy to by being stripped of my insulated American life multiple times a year ...thank you for listening. Conni and Laura proved to be a great addition to our team. I had originally assumed we would be writing a Field Report mid-way during our stay together and asking them for a contribution, but as with most of my plans, I have had to let go of that one too. Besides both having a great heart for helping others, they worked together like peas in a pod and were quite a huge blessing. I was regularly given private time to gain perspective on my life there as an adopted member of the Magaya family attending to family concerns at they surfaced. And as Laura so profoundly put it, my life resembles a power strip with all manner of people coming at all hours to plug in. This was a very helpful insight as I often ponder why I come home worn to a nubbins. Conni and Laura kept rising to surmount the difficulties and didn't let anything intimidate their spirits...they really did come to work, that was made clear by the end...they weren't there as tourists, they weren't there to play in the African sun, they were there to alleviate the suffering, uplift the downhearted, and hang in there with me on all the excruciating details it takes to run the project, dotting the i's and crossing the t's to satisfy our IRS, our donors and our own need for integrity. Great thanks to a couple of great women! Faithfully and with much diligence, Jaiaen p.s. Please keep an eye on our web-site for holiday gifts: the women worked on some incredible embroidery, the carvers made more small exquisite serpentine sculptures, and we have some great basketry and jewelry too!