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The Michael Project Newsletter
April 2005
Contents
Tonga children's work underway
"Mwapona!"
shout the smiling, dusty faces as they duck around the side
of the hut, too shy to continue the conversation now that they have said hello.
These are some of the Tonga children in rural Simatelele, 50km's from Binga
where The Michael Project is working with the local church to reach children
who are at risk through poverty and HIV/AIDS. Our team from Harare have joined
Joyce Mbiba, our Binga project co-ordinator, to help her assess the needs
of these children and conduct workshops with volunteers from the local churches.
We set out from Harare at 6am in Dave's Isuzu, the back loaded with furniture
for our base in Binga, and jerry cans with scarce (and very precious) diesel,
to embark on the 2000km round trip to Binga. The last portion of the journey
is over a rocky, dusty and very bumpy road, and after 2 hours of this, Mr
Hobbs was muttering something about his truck, and how our pastor Rikki's
seemingly insane idea for a microlite, was making a great deal of sense. We
arrived at our base in hot Binga that evening, only to get stuck in the soft
sand 200m from the house.
We met up with Pastor Muleya, and over the next few days travelled on even rockier, dustier and bumpier roads (much to Dave's delight) to meet with the volunteers that Joyce, Nhlanganiso and Ebbie had trained in March. We were saddened to learn that one of them had been killed by an elephant a few weeks earlier.
There
was also much light hearted banter on the way with Tonga, Ndebele, Shona and
Western cultures all coming together. We discovered that in Binga 'just around
the corner' can be anything up to 50km's away, while Nhlanganiso took flack
over his dreadlocks and Muleya over the Tonga people's seemingly old fashioned
ways. We spoke a lot about God, and the sense that He is bringing revival
to Zimbabwe.
In Nsenga, we parked the truck in a village, and walked through the bush, past dry and withered crops, to the church. Although the rains did arrive this year, they disappeared quickly leaving the half-grown millet to contend with the hot sun, and little chance of a harvest. We were enthusiastically welcomed into the cool thatched church and spent the next few hours discussing the needs of the children, and how we can address them. Children with no means to continue in school drop out at age 13, and turn to prostitution. Ignorance of HIV/AIDS has led to child headed households and due to famine, malnutrition is prominent. The children ducking behind the hut have torn and dirty clothes, and many of them have scabies and ringworm.
But The Michael Project, together with the local church, is addressing these issues by clothing and feeding these children, encouraging and assisting with self help projects which will generate income for school fees. Joyce is spending time, through workshops and seminars, raising awareness of HIV/AIDS and teaching on life skills, as well as visiting the children and encouraging them. We know that God has not forgotten the children in this hot, but beautiful place, and He is using Joyce and The Michael Project to touch their lives .... one child at a time.
Visit to The Chikurubi Daycare Centre
Bev Lawes, The Michael Project's administrator, tells of her first visit to the Daycare Centre at Chikurubi Prison.
I recently joined The Michael Project team as administrator. It has been three
months of fun, laughter, tears and frustration and it is laughter that bubbles
up inside every time I think of my first visit to The Michael Project's Daycare
Centre at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. Driving along the farm
road on the approach to the prison, through the first roadblock and through
the main security gate, I was feeling quite nervous and feeling very sad.
Then stepping into the daycare centre ... well, what a change. Noise,
laughter, love. It all hits you.
On my first visit, I thought that the children would be nervous of a stranger, especially a white person. But they weren't. I knelt on the carpet and was surrounded. 'Mama', 'Amai' and 'Motor'. It took me ten minutes to realise that they wanted a ride in my car! The leader of the current pack (attendance changes as women are discharged and committed) is Peter. Three years old with all of the confidence in the world. A smile that would melt the very hardest heart. He kept us entertained for an hour. His 2 IC is Moses, who is also three years old, but much smaller, with the look of a very old man. The contrast between Peter's shiny round face and Moses' thin face is startling. Moses probably has AIDS. His development is certainly stunted. He has suffered from malnutrition and has a suppurating ear. But his smile is as wide as Peter's, as beautiful, and he displays it constantly, like a flashing light on a dark night. He chats away but there is a look of wariness in his eyes, which is no surprise considering the hard life that he has had to endure. There are bruises and cuts on his little face.
At the centre of the laughter and noise are the teachers, Monica, Susan and Tsitsi. Trained pre-school teachers with a gift straight from God. Love. Children are picked up, swung around, sung to, laughed with, fed and cuddled by those teachers. That is what makes a difference within those four walls ..... LOVE .. the love of God for those children. It makes the Daycare Centre a shining light in an otherwise dark place.
My prayer for Peter and Moses is to always know love, and more importantly, to always know the love of God.
TOP
Re-building starts at Wingate
Pre-school
After the Wingate pre-school building was destroyed by a falling tree late
last year, the classes were moved to a nearby pavilion, loaned to us as a
temporary measure, by the next door golf club. The pre-school building looked
rather forlorn and derelict with its broken down roof and walls, being a shadow
of its former self. However, in April, with the help of men from the community,
re-building started, and the new roof trusses have been erected. The New Wingate
Pre-schoolwill soon open it's doors to the 34 children currently attending,
and will once again be the hub of activity and laughter in the centre of the
community.
We praise God for his incredible provision and faithfulness, and know that many children will continue to be blessed through this pre-school. Thank you to everyone who helped and contributed to make this possible.
Please Pray for
The children in Nsenga and Simatelele. That God would heal these children of the deep emotional hurt that so many of them have and that they would know His love for them.
Joyce, as she spends time away from her family to minister to the children
in the Binga area, often in difficult circumstances. Pray that God would
keep her safe as she travels on bad roads and that she would know His wisdom
and guidance as she teaches and shares with others.
The leaders and volunteers from the churches we are working with. Pray that they would catch the vision and be proactive in addressing the needs of the children at risk in their communities.
Please Pray for
God to bring revival to all of the communities we are working with, and for their transformation.
The teachers at Chikurubi Daycare Centre and Wingate Pre-School. That they would be encouraged as they touch the childern's lives, and that they would continue to be salt and light.
Dave and Helen as they travel to the UK to raise awareness of the work being done by The Michael Project.
God to provide all the resources we need to effectively carry out this work.
