Marimba Music on Mother’s Day!

Get on your dancing shoes and take that special woman in your life to the Thyme Garden in Alsea for their annual Mother’s Day event. http://www.thymegarden.com/Events

Ancient Ways ensembles again bring the Shona marimba music from Zimbabwe to this incredible forest and garden setting. Not only will you find a large and wonderful variety of plants for sale, but also other local and regional artists share their work. Food and drink, music and relaxation, and lots of love for mothers of all ages.

Kufindura Marimba plays from 12:30 pm to 2 pm on May 8th. Come and join us as we bring together our three ensembles: Mufambo, Nhimbe, and Kufindura playing from 3:30 to closing. This is a free event!

Ancient Ways – Amazon Mother’s Day Donations

Here is a unique opportunity to help us with our work in Zimbabwe!

1. First make sure you are signed up with AmazonSmile ( http://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/about/ref=smi_se_abtpo_r_about_smi )
2. Choose Ancient Ways to receive the Amazon donation! This works every time…not just on Mother’s Day!
3. Use AmazonSmile Mother’s Day Link to check out their gift ideas: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/charity/homepage.html?orig=%2Fgp%2Fbrowse.html%3Fnode%3D502659011&ein=93-1158030

Thank you for your continued support!

Jaiaen’s Field Report #3

In this year’s final field report from Zimbabwe, Jaiaen writes:

 

Grasping what the basics of life are, is a gift… it’s not obvious. What appears to our senses is often diluted, over-stimulated, misrepresented, fluffed up without substance, etc., so discerning the essential can be elusive. Like all that we take for granted… fresh water, enough energy to produce food, enough food to sustain health, air that heals, medical care for loved ones, freedom to govern one’s life and make choices without duress, sovereignty of mind, body, spirit… the list goes on. What are the real requirements for wellness, wholeness, happiness?

 

THE QUICK VERSION:

 

Transport – $5/gallon, few vehicles on the road, and sardine-like commuter travel are a lifestyle.
Real African medicine – meeting Sekuru Moyo gives hope for the future.

Survey results – after some serious interviews, we will have a completely new look at the complexion of the Nhimbe families’ living situations.

 

Read all the details here, or access through the menu at Blog & Reports>Archived Field Reports & Letters.

 

After reading these field reports, if you’d like to make a donation, please donate through the website or call the office 877-TATENDA (877-828-3632) or (541) 259-HOPE (541-259-4673).

 

Thanks for your support,

Payton

More News from Zimbabwe

We received another update from Jaiaen in Zimbabwe!

 

Here is an excerpt with a quick summary, Jaiaen writes:

 

Access to the internet, phone, WhatsApp etc., has been limited this trip. I could see that some of you wrote me with wonderful replies sharing blessings of encouragement, new ideas, financial donations, and the like, but I have not been able to reply. It is complicated to describe how one can have some internet but not enough network or battery to respond. This is particularly true in the rural area where I have spent most all of my time. I’m sorry to not be able to dive right into conversation with you, as that is my nature, but it has to wait until the door opens. Thank you so much for your interest and concern for these people. There is much suffering in the world and I appreciate your partnership in making your difference show here!

 

THE QUICK VERSION:

  • Weather report – praises for thunderstorms!
  • Empowerment from you to purchase some supplies is done with tremendous gratitude.
  • Re-thatching is on the radar but a challenge to see easily on the horizon.
  • Permaculture and our preschool are a good match…love that produce.
  • Monthly care and underwear – we are making great progress and are hopeful for the future.
  • Health concerns are continual…we have much to do.

You can access the full document here, or from our Field Reports page on the website.

-Payton

 

 

Update from Zimbabwe!

Greetings! Jaiaen is in Zimbabwe for the first time in five years, and has sent home a report on how she is finding things there. The complete report can be found here, but the following is her quick synopsis:

  • Feeling much gratitude for everything!
  • What it’s like here in town and the rural area… summertime, a safe friendly culture, a struggling economy beyond your imagination, a resilient people,
  • There is an impending drought and feeding the hungry may be on the agenda in 2016,
  • Our preschool is having several challenges – over $2,000 can solve some unexpected problems… can you help us be part of the solution?
  • Thank you for whatever you can do!

Hopefully we will get further updates during Jaiaen’s trip. Watch this spot!
-Payton

Upcoming Trip to Zimbabwe

Dear Friends of Zimbabwe,

Please take a minute to hear the latest from our Zimbabwe project!

** If you have been able to help us with this year’s mission, this email will hopefully give you a short update. And thank you, for your decision to make a difference in Zimbabwe through our efforts. We all are working together!
** If you haven’t seen our annual letter please go to https://ancient-ways.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/AW2015-packet.pdf and check out the film clips, or
** If you have read the letter (and seen those great videos) but haven’t been able to donate yet, please see https://ancient-ways.org/about/join-or-donate/2016-focus/ to contribute today!

Here is what is happening NOW:

1. The preschool needs some soccer balls and a local girl scout troop is gathering them to send in my suitcase. I leave on the 16th of February for a month.
2. Our library sponsor is covering the postage for us to send some books to arrive while I’m there. We have some books to send, but if you have a special book that would be a great addition to our library please send it right away! I must receive it by February 6th to get it in the mail (that’s 10 days from now). These books will be part of our library there, which serves a full community from daily preschoolers, primary and secondary as well as adults, including local teachers who use our facilities. I would say that lots of Goldie locks and Goosebumps or Harry Potter might not be the best choices – they have their own educational curriculum as well and so straight school text books are also not the best. Think about their culture, and great literature, to make your choices! Please send any books right away that you would like to see made available in the village setting to PO BOX346 SCIO OR 97355.
3. We will be providing monthly care for the girls this trip and all the wheels are in motion to make this happen.
4. We will be providing uniform fabric for the preschoolers and staff so that our school is following the legal guidelines for school uniforms.
5. We will be able to print one of the preschool books that Red Zebra made so that each child might have their own book! What a thought!
6. We will be able to provide some health care by being present to the village needs as we do daily work. Thank you for your support with this.
7. I’m looking forward to getting pictures of wells! We have built a total of 92 wells…16 built just this last year. Now since a camera has been recently donated, we can get pictures of the wells on an ongoing basis (our last camera bit the dust). Thank you all for your patience with our well building and picture taking progress. Some of you don’t care about getting a picture and others do. We continue to always do our best…thanks.
8. We will be able to explore many areas of the project and hear from the residents just how Nhimbe for Progress is helping their lives.

Its been 5 years since I have gone to Zimbabwe. Initially the political situation made it difficult to spend a month in the rural area, since having regular gatherings could be misconstrued. Then my late husband, hence our family and friends, were all working through Agent Orange and its repercussions. Its taken a while to be ready to travel and return to the rural area, but I’m now looking forward to it.

Thank you for any way you are able to help us, help them! We are committed to making a difference today, and in the future.

Please feel free to call or email with questions…thank you for your continued support!

Jaiaen
541-259-HOPE or 877-TATENDA

 

Ancient Ways Works in Zimbabwe

Dear Friends of Zimbabwe,
 
If you haven’t received our annual letter please follow this link to read more about our work in Zimbabwe: https://ancient-ways.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/AW2015-packet.pdf.
 
If you have, and already have made a decision on what you can do, thank you for taking the time to ponder the question and take action however it works for you.
 
Besides being an active force for positive change in the world, Ancient Ways has stayed the course and continues to build wells in rural Zimbabwe where less than 1 in 10 people have a clean pure water well, as well as remains committed to the preschool and youth of the Mhondoro communities where we are based.
 
Please consider a fully tax-deductible donation now to help us help them!  Use PayPal and get the use of an additional 1% to increase your donation (see below).  Also, consider talking to your employer about their matching fund policy.
 
Besides being a reminder about year-end tax deductions, I also want to THANK YOU for all the encouragement you have given all of us, both here in the states and abroad, on the ground in Zimbabwe.
 
Blessings into 2016! 
 
Jaiaen
 
Donate as a business of individual through the PAYPAL Giving Fund by December 31st and PayPal will add 1% to your donation. Increase your impact with their 1% match, delivering 101% to your charity.