Portia crop

Crucial Life-Saving Contributions Needed Now!

by Fundraisers

Dear Nhimbe Friends,

An urgent unexpected medical situation has arisen in Zimbabwe for Muda’s family (our Nhimbe for Progress co-director). Some of you may have met him in 2023 when he came to the states, or remember his father, Cosmas Magaya. Muda’s wife of 20 years, Portia, has recently been taken critically ill and is now hospitalized awaiting life-saving surgery. This vital intervention is needed immediately and we are asking for any help you can see your way to offer.

A minimum of $2,000 is needed, to include the first operation of $1,300 with additional costs for consultations, tests and follow-up. A second surgery will be expected in one month. Other family members are contributing as able to both the medical costs and tuition to keep Muda and Portia’s children in school.

Portia has been working for the banking industry for as long as I can remember, and being the mother of their 5 children is also a full-time job! She is a prime example of a hard-working woman who is the backbone of the African family. As of a month ago she was forced to stop working due to her health difficulties progressing rapidly. She was admitted to the hospital May 28 and is scheduled for surgery by specialists as soon as possible. She texts, “The pain has become unbearable. The sooner the procedure is done the better! I’m so frustrated and tired.” Timing is critical because hospitals in Zimbabwe require pre-payment before treatment.

Please feel free to read this “Letter from Zimbabwe” outlining the current deplorable conditions of medical institutions there.

If you are able to donate to her life-saving medical expenses, please click here. Under “Greatest Need” enter “Portia” in the special field. Whatever you can do is greatly appreciated and any amount helps. Your donation makes a huge difference for this family!

Thank you so much for listening and giving me an opportunity to share all of this during this rather emotional time. Some of you have read the Field Reports over the years and heard some of these stories.

Tatenda Chaizvo!

Two girls laughing at comic

MMC Fridays Are So Fruitful!

by Youth Well Being

Thank you for your continuing interest and support of our Mhandara Monthly Care (MMC) program. This program is very well loved by all of the Nhimbe residents as well as the government officials and chief. We are clearly filling a critical niche in the lives of these children.

The girls are able to attend meetings from any age and so, learn early on the basics of monthly care, and benefit from the comradery that only grows out of coming together weekly. Currently, we have around 120 brand new girls in the Nhimbe program. Numbers aren’t yet in on the other 10 schools (generically called Hombe), but they are definitely on the docket to receive supplies and continue with the program this year.

room full of girls with book

The latest piece of excitement on the ground is the girls being able to get their hands on the Menstrupedia Comic books that the Vasikana Project translated into Shona from Hindi.  We are thrilled to be collaborating with them!  They donated 5 books to Nhimbe, we purchased another 50 to be supporting their work, and we will be distributing those to the 10 schools to whom we have been providing supplies. The English translation is also a wonderful book for any young girl. We also bought one copy for the Girl Child Network Zimbabwe since the book wasn’t on their radar.  Each book is $5 in case you would like to contribute.

You can see from the girls’ faces that they are really enjoying this book. It requires them to read, plus teaches them so much about their bodies and life. Our next step is a partnership with Girl Child Network Zimbabwe to train all the teachers for Nhimbe and Hombe using the comic book as a guide. Our plan is to co-develop this. The profound content provides an excellent foundation and outline.

line of girls studying the book
line of girls studying the book 2
four girls close up with book
three girls close up with book

The music, song and dance is a key piece, of course, just like for any of us that share in a music-based experience. It’s not only bonding because that is what music does, but it’s also their traditional music, which has been passed on orally for centuries, so it helps them stay rooted in the positive ways of their culture.

I think you know that many people around the world, children and adults alike, think that there is something better about the west, and so have been abandoning their native languages, clothing, music, etc. Our program has a focus to help them be aware of the rich heritage from which they come. Weekly classes in the new marimba room are quite spectacular, as there is room for all ages to share in song and dance, and receive instruction on marimba!

A Friday Marimba lesson

Check out this video of them learning Nhemamusasa!

“Nhemamusasa,” (Sh. “cutting trees for a temporary shelter”) is one of the ancient songs in the mbira repertoire of the Shona people. Msasa is the name of the tree, and hunters going out for more than one day at a time would cut branches of the tree to make a shelter. During the war for independence, soldiers/freedom fighters would hide in the bush using the msasa tree branches to stay hidden and make a home for a time. (Thanks Claire for the clairification ;*))

A Friday Marimba

For 2025, we have already begun making and distributing MMC monthly care supplies to the new girls who are blossoming this year.  Not only does the family’s need to put food on the table compete with a maturing girl’s hygiene needs, but most profoundly, these supplies keep the girls in school getting an education.  No reason to miss school because of a lack – now commonly called “period poverty” around the world. Zimbabwe is no exception in this regard.  The last thing a family wants is an idle child out of school, or someone who is not part of her school community.  These young MMC girls have a better chance of avoiding pregnancy, early childhood marriage and STD’s as well as prostitution, which is on the rise.  Any way that you would like to support the MMC program is very appreciated!

Gratefully, we want to acknowledge all of you who have been there with us helping these girls. It’s life transforming to have these supplies, not only for the educational reasons and keeping her out of harm’s way, but also for her life-long self-esteem, for which there is no substitute. Imagine not having a graceful way to deal with a maturing girl’s circumstances! 

Thank you for whatever you can do, and however you might like to do it.  This link is for recurring donations, which makes tons of sense for this situation that is clearly recurring! Your donations make the difference – and any amount helps. Tatenda Chaizvo!

wife

Unfathomable Weather Patterns Continue!

by Wells

It’s been somewhat exasperating to get a grip on what is going on with the Zimbabwean weather. We know that the drought has been plaguing particularly the rural residents for a long time, and this year has been no exception. 

We began with a list of wells needing deepening, and with many thanks to you, we were able to deepen all 25 in November 2024, an achievement that has brought good relief to the community. Your generosity has made such a tangible difference in the lives of those facing the worst of these conditions. Thank you so much!

But, the circumstances continue to evolve, and we need your help. On the heels of our November work, we learned that at least another 24 families are in urgent need of well deepening. Please click here choosing well repair, sending any amount you are able. Digging averages $106-110 per well but anything helps.

When residents originally build a well, they tend to stop at 10 meters for instance, because maybe they hit water. But over time, they realize that they really should dig another 5 meters, making it 15 to withstand the pressures of the persistent droughts.

Picture of lightning

Ironically, the bizarre nature of the weather changes add insult to injury. There have been thunder and lightning storms in Mhondoro (and not so much in town). Every week or so Muda has sent video of the rains creating havoc. The Nhimbe team goes to the school to deliver books and can’t even do that, waiting and waiting until there is a break. The cattle kraal began filling up with the rain, so they need to build a new one. One would think this water would be a blessing, and granted, the grass is benefitting, but the torrents do not really help any little seedlings take root. It also hasn’t made a dent in the deepening requirements. See short films here.

Besides the well deepening we found that we have 5 of the elderly (in their 80’s and 90’s) who have no well. Their water source has completely dried up. Fortunately, they have family or friends who have been bringing them water for quite some time, for example, from a kilometer away (.62 miles), but this is not a sustainable solution. They desperately need wells—both for their immediate survival and for their long-term well-being. Here is a video sharing stories of two of them.

Picture of Bridge and Wife
Venisancia & Bridge Zaranyika Registration #610
This oddity in the weather has left many confused. It’s almost as if the heavens open up, but the earth swallows the water immediately. It’s a sad reminder of the brutal reality these villagers face—each rainfall that could be a blessing instead becomes just a fleeting event with no lasting relief. Every donation of yours, no matter how small, makes a significant difference. The villagers we support will be incredibly grateful for anything you can contribute.

Please take a moment to click the link here to extend your help. Your generosity will go a long way in making the lives of these rural villagers just a bit more comfortable and sustainable in the face of these unrelenting conditions. They are counting on us, and with your help, we can provide them with the life-saving resources they need.  

Thank you again for your continued support. Together, we can help turn the tide for these communities in Zimbabwe.

preschool trio of children

Sending You & Yours a Heartfelt Holiday Smile!

by Fundraisers

Are you saying, “2024 went by sooo fast!”?  Most of us are feeling that way.  And, so much was gratefully accomplished! With the plans developing for next year, we can only again say, “Tatenda Chaizvo” (we thank you very much) for all of your support in these endeavors. 

If you missed our annual letter, please click here, which will take you to the blog containing all the links to bring you up to date with the report for 2024 plus the hopes, dreams, and wishes for 2025.

If you have already contributed to our efforts this year, thank you for being on the front edge of the beat, and if not, there is still just enough time to make a fully tax-deductible donation for 2024, or setup a recurring donation of any amount spread over the next year.

The drought continues, and that has become a priority focus. The hunger and poverty that is caused by the lack of water is the current emergency.  Needy families are receiving the drip for the drought hoses and buckets, permaculture training, as well as the deepening of their wells.  Thanks to your help we successfully deepened 23 wells last month, and now have another 20 on the list to address.

Please, always feel free to reach out by phone, text, email and snail mail.  Thank you, and looking forward to meeting up or seeing you next year!

Jaiaen

preschool class in a line800

Warm Winter Greetings From the Team Here in Lacomb

by Fundraisers

Annual Letter from Ancient Ways Enclosed!

Warm winter greetings from the team here in Lacomb, and summer greetings from the crew in Mhondoro! We hope this email finds you well and savoring the hunkering down of the holidays. It’s a very busy time of year, so if you don’t have time now, please mark this for reading later, as it is packed with inspiring information!

We continue to feel enormous gratitude for your positively uplifting ongoing support. Your prayers for us as a group and as individuals, along with your encouragement over the years, inspires us, particularly during the challenging times.  Of course, your financial donations and pledges keep us sane as we row through the unknown waters that lie ahead.

I have to admit that I love holding the vision and trusting the process, because that in itself brings juice to the journey and spice to my life!  There is a vulnerability I enjoy in being at sea, and having a sense of direction with one’s internal compass, but sometimes there is no land to be seen.

Please check out our focus for 2025 here, and:

Each year we look forward to the new year in Mhondoro and anticipate great growth in our communication skills, the meeting of our objectives and goals, as well as the simple sense of peace and well-being that comes from bringing comfort to another. 

We also continue to promote our music programs here in Oregon, where we hold weekly classes in Corvallis, garnishing our lives with great friendships and deep bonds, as we study together.  Performing around the valley has become a fond joy over the years, and we look towards the opening of that season come spring, as well as Zimfest 2025, August 7-10, at Central Washington University, in Ellensburg, WA.

Check out www.ancient-ways.org for more details. And, always feel free to call or email. We thank you very much.

Tatenda Chaizvo!  Jaiaen 

Woman at a well

Please Help Us Deepen Wells!

by Wells

We have 23 families in dire need of water. Their wells have completely dried up and merely need deepening. Please click here to contribute whatever you can to Well Repair! With this you are buying bricks and cement, plus hiring a digger and builder to add meters to the existing well. I know many of you are deeply concerned about affairs in our country, so thank you so much for taking a minute to focus with us on the Nhimbe residents. 

Many people are going without water in daily life as their well has dried up due to the ongoing drought. Maybe you recall our March post about the serious nature of the drought including elephants dying in Hwange (a region near Victoria Falls)? Now, more recently the national power grid has been radically compromised by both the reduced water in Lake Kariba and a technical fault at Hwange Power Station. It never occurred to me how interwoven water and electricity are. Let’s just say that no electricity makes communication ridiculously difficult, among other things.

Here in our homes, we just flip the switches and walk to the faucets to turn them on, right? Drink and cook with water? Wash dishes, our clothes, our bodies? Care for our animals, children and the elderly? Water our gardens, maintain our homes? Geesh . . . .

Our Nhimbe team continues to work with the H2O Drip for the Drought Program, bringing the Nhimbe families closer to growing food with the use of basic drip technology using a bucket system. We completed training in May with great success. But we have run into devastating water levels dropping, so some are not able to access the water to fill the bucket. We just need to deepen wells, with 23 families (currently) identified as critical. We also deepened 72 wells in 2020.

2 Girls Hauling Water

Sometimes family members have been able to walk to their neighbors who have deeper wells to get water for daily basics. Please donate to well repair now however fits your budget…you make a difference!

  • Two bags of cement per family delivered to Mhondoro is $34 ($782)
  • Handmade bricks delivered by ox cart (a nickel a piece) is $500 for 10,000 to deepen all 23 wells.
  • The building and digging team is paid $50 for deepening each well ($1,150).

We need to raise $2,432, which averages around $106 per family. That’s a small price to pay to bring such vital change. And, with your donation we can do it! Thank you for your compassion and help…You make the difference. Tatenda Chaizvo

Woman with a large pile of corn

The Rite of a Gentle Giant

by Project Updates

Carina Barros has made this wonderfully creative and insightful film in memory of Cosmas Magaya. She unexpectedly gifted us with this film – thank you Carina! We are posting this in honor of his birthday October 5th, 1953, as well as the 25th anniversary of Nhimbe for Progress and Ancient Ways’ 30th anniversary. I’m sharing my favorite picture of Cosmas’ mother, VaChihera Matilda Magaya, in front of her bountiful harvest of maize. She was instrumental in his life and he always had such a tender fondness for her. His father, Joshua, was a profound giver and always generous in his community. He also was a leader in the region, showing the progressive way forward.

Let me share a little background of how some of this evolved here. Ancient Ways formed a team traveling to Zimbabwe in 2019, and Carina was part of our vision. Our adventure was intended to record film, both video and photos, to help document what we had been up to since 1999. It was Nhimbe’s 20th anniversary, Ancient Ways 25th anniversary, and we were ready to celebrate!

Cosmas had visited the U.S. through Kutsinhira in Eugene in 1998 and came to our farm to meet Ancient Ways’ students. We shared many stories about his home and family. The most fascinating to me was his father being a traditional healer, since my life’s passion circles around studying spiritual and healing practices from around the world. I also learned that he was a humanitarian at heart, and so that, too, opened the doors to linking our lives in this unique way.
Cosmas was instrumental in teaching me, this American-born-and-bred student of life, everything he could about Shona customs and culture, fierce devotion to family, and how to seek diplomacy in uncompromising and difficult situations.

Visiting Zimbabwe 20 times since 2000, I shared time in his life as we worked together on behalf of Ancient Ways through Nhimbe for Progress, which we co-founded. We were engaged in family matters and business, where I spent time with him as a sibling adopted in a traditional ceremony through his father, Joshua. I also knew him as the oldest son of Joshua and Matilda, as the father of Matilda, Tsitsi, Mudavanhu and Rutendo, as the husband of his dear wife, Joyce, and as the project director of Nhimbe for Progress. 

I was not a mbira student, rather, we shared a different mission together. We explored the American and Shona cultures through each other’s eyes. We hoped to resolve, improve, and co-create wonderful things, with a vision and optimism born out of allowing and blessing “what is”, and not simply acquiescing.

His favorite recurring phrase I heard over the years was, “We are winning!” as we climbed over, around, and through the many obstacles in the savannah and concrete jungle. The mission was to uplift his people, while simultaneously creating an avenue for the western world to reach out with humanitarian assistance.

Cosmas Magaya stands out as a revered teacher to all of his students as well as a premiere performer, and has been sorely missed since his passing in 2020. We are all grateful for his gentle nature of collaboration and expansion, all blessed with his large heart!

30 Years Banner

Our 30th Year Anniversary and Local Events

by PerformancesProject Updates

Autumn Greetings!   
It’s been a very full summer, and we have much gratitude now for all that is! We continue to celebrate our 30th year as Ancient Ways, and appreciate all that you have done to support and encourage us to reach out to our Zimbabwean neighbors through Nhimbe for Progress. Nhimbe is also in celebration of 25 years of successful determined focus!

H2O Drip for the Drought is serving the local Nhimbe families by providing them with the technology to harness what water they have and direct it with very little effort to their garden plots. Keep your eyes open for more reports (see our last blog about this here in case you missed it). We are partnering with Healing Hands International and they are generously investing in our community. For $25 you can sponsor a family’s food security.

Just checking, but I’m assuming you realize that this drought is serious! It is not just a threat to health and well-being, but also the drought has impacted the electricity available in the country. The Lake Kariba dam normally generates electricity for Zambia and Zimbabwe, but the water has run so low, sitting at 7.4% full, that it is impacting the electricity available in both countries, and so more often than usual, there are rolling blackouts.

To this end, we are working to raise more funds to assist more families with an H2O Drip for the Drought system. This Saturday September 28th, we will be available locally at the FCC Craft Fair on the southeast corner of the Corvallis Fall Festival, back side of FCC 6th and Madison, where we will be selling crafts from the villages as well as t-shirts and rocks from Africa. We are open there Saturday only from 10 to 6 pm.

Our music program is generating 6 ½ hours of music from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to share with fair and festival goers. Check out the following schedule and put on your dancing shoes: 

  • 11:00-12 Tamuka Marimba
  • 12:15-1:15 Tamuka Marimba
  • 1:30-2:00 Mavambo Marimba
  • 2:15-3:15 Chipindura Marimba
  • 3:30-4:30  Chipindura Marimba

October 5th, find us at Silverton’s 13th Annual Sidewalk Shindig for more music from 12 to 2:30 pm by Tashinga Marimba, in front of Sadaka Realty, 300 Lewis St. Silverton.

October 12th we will be playing at the Westminster Festival of Fine Art in Salem from 11 am to 1 pm to help showcase their artisan venue. 

Thank you for however and whenever you reach out! Whether you can attend these events, simply say hey in an email or call, or make a donation, we appreciate whatever you can do to help us help them! Many blessings your way!

President's Drought Message

ZIMBABWE DROUGHT UPDATE — A Call for Help!

by Wells

His Excellency President DR Emmerson Dambudzo MNANGAGWA has declared a nationwide State of Disaster due to the El Nino-induced drought. Measures will be taken by the government to mitigate against the disaster. April 3rd 2024

Summer Greetings! Hope this finds you well with a flourishing garden or fresh produce from the locals. As you may recall, Zimbabwe is in the middle of a drought. It’s actually been a constant state of affairs the last few years, and has only worsened as the crops did not come in again this year. Please see the March blog where we explain our hopes for the village’s intervention.

April 3rd, their President declared it a state of disaster, but, with little in the way of resources, not much has been done. Occasional food distributions have taken place on a hit-and-miss basis throughout the country. If you are interested in donating now, without reading further, please click here. Following is Nhimbe’s story with our progress the last couple of months.

In March we bought $4,500 worth of maize to help get the staff through the year until March of 2025. Then in the beginning of May we were blessed by a partnership with Healing Hands International (HHI) who generously donated permaculture training and seeds to the residents. They are a spiritually-based organization that doesn’t bring in the evangelical arm of their commitment to alleviate suffering, so it was a perfect match for us, as we within Ancient Ways are apolitical and secular, while being spiritually based.

It took us a few weeks to get organized and locate bulk quantities of supplies. Muda went several places to get a good deal. This bucket salesman assures us he has the right number. And then, just contemplate the transportation of the hoses, buckets and plastic hardware.

The Magaya’s kindly hosted the teacher, and one person from each of 106 families was able to attend an extremely well-designed workshop. The HHI organization has so much experience all over the world, specifically promoting food security in Zimbabwe, that everyone was absolutely delighted at the quality of teaching.

Workshop Prep

It went amazingly well, particularly considering the number of participants and the making up of the drip hose kits on the spot from all the pieces purchased. Really . . . what a relief!

They learned how to use cornstalks and manure to build the beds so that the breakdown of the plant matter will continue to sustain the growth.

Compost Building

They studied raised bed building, compost pile building, various techniques for watering crops during a drought, and how/what/when to plant. The particular drip hoses we use are 100’ long which, using a coupler, provided making two 50’ long rows, to be used on 4’ wide rows. The pre-drilled hoses have about 16” between holes. These hoses hook up to a bucket with the plastic hardware.

The next 200 drip hose units have been purchased from our emergency savings including a donation from ZCDP. We spent close to $3,900 on these drip hoses in May. Although nerve-wracking to touch the funds, I knew it was an investment we just had to make. And now seeing the pictures just makes my heart sing! Thank you for your support in this.

Irrigation and Planting
Transplanting Completion
Awarding Certificates at Workshop Completion

We fed them a meal as part of the first day. Each participant received a diploma (although this photo doesn’t show everyone) and was gifted a drip hose system after a very full two days’ work.

We have nearly 200 families yet needing this course and are hopeful that HHI will return after seeing our follow-up pics and videos. They have been so incredibly supportive to us. Muda provided them with all of what they needed to do their job well, like having several villagers bring special kinds of digging tools, and then also, he followed up with Febby, our co-director, going to many homes to see how people were doing with what they had learned. Muda then sent that documentation on to the teacher and we are waiting for a reply. Here is a photo of the garden 2 months after the workshop at the Community Center.

Rows of Growing Crops

We also have a short video to share the 2-month follow-up at the Community Center here. When Muda and Febby went to the villagers’ homes they found great results as well (click here).

This is sure a nice show of greens about which the family is very pleased.

Check out this slide show also at the various students’ homes. They took the class material and put it to work!
Villagers holding healthy plants
Home Update 2 month (6)-
Row of health plants
Irrigation System Bucket and Healthy Plants
Irrigation system
Long row of plants with irrigation piping
Man standing next to irrigation system and plants
Long row of plants with irrigation piping
Compost Pile
Man next to compost pile

The situation is dire, and Zimbabwe, as a whole, is suffering greatly due to this drought. Unless you watch BBC or read a Zimbabwean newspaper online, you may be in the dark. Of course, our US news just doesn’t carry much of a story about the situation. We are asking you to contribute to make it possible for these residents to be able to grow basics. Fruits and vegetables, although not meat and potatoes (maize actually over there), provide the foundational vitamins and minerals to fuel so many nutritional needs in our bodies. They are earnestly doing their part, and we appreciate anything you can do to help us help them. Please click here to go to the marketplace . . . whatever you can do makes a difference. Thank you so much!

We stand in continued awe of your support over the years as we remain steadfast in reaching out across the planet. Of course, it was the music that Dumisani taught which first brought me to an awareness of the plight of Zimbabwe. That, coupled with a passion to help people, has put me on this path…2024 brings 30 years as Ancient Ways and 25 years on behalf of Nhimbe for Progress. We are so grateful for your assistance, as are each of the Nhimbe residents and beyond their villages. Besides this current crisis, the ongoing programs and services bring much joy and hope to the families primarily because we are reaching their children in myriad ways – all thanks to you. Many Tender Blessings Your Way!

Best Friends Forever

Goats and Young Girls Flourish!

by Youth Well Being

Thank you so much for your recent contributions toward our efforts to uplift our neighbors in Zimbabwe! There is much activity on the ground there, so I’m not sure where to start. First, let me give a brief update about the water and food situation with more to follow after this weekend.

We’ll have pictures about the maize delivery that began the beginning of March, hopefully by next week. This will include an update sharing the exciting irrigation plans, about which we continue to remain very optimistic. If you haven’t read about the drought or our last blog please click here. Your help with this undertaking is impactful! If you are in a position to help us in this work, just know that we continue to source the special drip hose plus offer a workshop to all the families who are interested. More to follow in a few days!

Besides a drought update here are a few pictures of the goats we bought for the staff volunteers in January. This was our way of saying thank you to them for all of their commitment and dedicated hours in creating this “happening place” called Nhimbe for Progress. We very much appreciate all they are doing for the community at large, so gave each staff member a goat. The best part of a goat gift is that they are all nannies, and will bring future kids for years to come. Having too many goats is a good thing. Goat meat is often needed for formal gatherings, like weddings, funerals and the like, so everyone is very appreciative. Many thanks to you!

Goat with Febby
Febby, our co-director, head of the preschool and MMC, is radiating Tatenda chaizvo (we thank you very much) as she holds her goat!
Goats with staff
Some of the staff with their nannies, feeling mighty happy.
Goat with Kenny
Kenny with his goat, looking very pleased. He is our MMC Marimba teacher and gardener as well.

As you can see, the volunteers all are feeling appreciated! We work to see that they feel recognized in various ways, because the stipend they are given is not as high as we would like. These kinds of bonuses do make a difference.

MMC Distribution

So far in 2024, thanks to your incredible assistance, we have been able to put 360 start-up kits in the hands of new girls in the area.  We are continuing to reach out to the Rukuma primary and secondary school as they are well-organized, being in a partnership with Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe.  Because of this, the teachers there are able to provide all of the services that we need to fulfill our program requirements.  We provide the start-up kits for these remote locations, and they are able to provide the meetings and follow-up. I love collaboration!

Organizing Distribution
This distribution is for the new Nhimbe for Progress girls.
Distribution to Tiny Teens
With Febby (left), the MMC lead, and Fortunate (right), the second-in-command and the voice you most often hear in the videos, the girls are given their soaking buckets and supplies, which last 3-5 years, amazingly enough. From the tiny ones still in primary to the secondary older girls, they are all very grateful!
Soap Distribution
Receiving a bar of soap each month helps the family with their priorities and keeps hygiene in the discussion. Putting soap on the grocery list can be really tough when there is not enough to eat.
Best Friends Forever
One of the best parts of contributing to the MMC program is seeing BFF (best friends forever) blossoming!
MMC Teen Care Camp Just Last Week

As the school closed for the term, we snagged 120 Nhimbe girls and let them slide right into their fall holiday with us for a few days.  We hadn’t had a camp since 2019 and it felt sooooo good!  Thank you for your tremendous support reaching across the globe to these maturing girls. They, like many girls around the planet, struggle to have appropriate monthly care supplies and essential guidance from mentors during puberty.  We are so grateful for your help making it possible to provide the girls with our MMC Teen Care Camp opportunity!

Arriving
As is traditional, the girls carry their belongings on top of their heads. They also bring firewood as able, contributing to the costs of the camp.
Arriving

Bearing modern backpacks and their MMC bucket, these girls are ready to chill for the weekend.  Actually, they remain very active but it’s fun-filled with non-routine activities, plus they get to make so many friends.  Here is a video to open a nice window to being there.

Check In
And the final step to be fully present is to turn in your parents’ release form for the slumber party.
Firebuilder
Getting ready for the evening activities…how exciting! This girl has been to more than one camp and has earned her place as Firestarter.
food prep (2)
food prep (1)
food serving (2)
food yes (2)
food yes (3)
food yes (4)

Three meals a day with beans, rice, chicken, sadza, cabbage, tomatoes, tea with milk, etc. on our grocery list . . . these girls are eating well . . . for some, these are likely the best meals they have had in a while!

This song the girls are sharing is reminiscent of the Girl Guides International roots, which supported our beginnings.  They practice marching and salutes as part of the program. Here they are heading out to the forest.

Hiking

The hiking is always a favorite part of the camp.  Think about it…how often is it safe anywhere in the world for a girl to go off into the forest?  But with the group it is totally fine and very empowering.  They really enjoy climbing trees.

Group

This is most of the tribe . . . seems like a huge commitment on the part of the volunteers who keep things moving so well!

Group
Even though some have their eyes closed, I love how they are being silly and clearly relaxed.
Service
Part of being in MMC is learning about service to the community. Here they have collected small branches to take to the elderly.
Service

This ambuya (grandmother) is getting some assistance at her home.  I’m fairly certain she is blind as she looks very familiar to me.  Without relatives, the elderly rely on community support to get help with the basics. Kindness is often shown to those in need.  There but for the Grace of God, go I.

Another service opportunity is when they sew dolls or puppets for the preschool children. At camp they get to work on learning how to sew.  This is not only practical for homemaking, but very specifically they can learn how to make the reusable washable supplies we provide.  When they move on in their lives from the MMC program they can be equipped with skills.

Now we get to the part of this story with lots more music . . . hoping you have hung in there to the end and can listen in to their incredibly innate vocal gifts. 

Let’s start with the dance-chant.

The Magaya’s home yard is not just swept but they also give him a special song of thanks denoted by the particular way they are clapping.

Here is a very endearing thank you speech to the donors by this young girl.  They practice public speaking to be able to remain confident and clear.

This thank you video is in Shona.  Listen to see if there are any English words coming through.  The word ‘donor’ is not a Shona word.  This means that in the traditional language the word doesn’t exist.  This is true for any words that were not part of the original language. For example, they use the English word for car or truck, popping it into their sentences.  There was basically no English language in the country a mere 140 or so years ago when they were first colonized.

You marimba enthusiasts will enjoy this one, as well as this familiar traditional song. These are our MMC girls and the lessons you have provided! 

This feels like a very unstructured “partaaay” song.

Here the girls are heading home after a great couple of days and nights together.  This has been a wonderful homecoming to camp again after no such opportunity since 2019.  Thank you so much for your continued assistance!

If you have any questions about the programs we are providing, please don’t hesitate to ask!  We love talking with you, so always feel free to reach out!

We are profoundly grateful for those who can budget something to step into this particular way of reaching our Zimbabwean neighbors. Check out the options here and choose your preferred programs.

If you can consider a regular monthly contribution, either directly through your bank, or a recurring donation here on the website, it can make a huge difference to the lives of these people.  Thank you for whatever you can do!