Upcoming Trip/Permaculture Update

by HealthProject Updates

First I want to thank all of you who have either contributed directly to airfare or the financial energy to support this trip! It started with us looking for volunteers, and then a couple of you responding, knowing that the airfare is a burden for a volunteer to be able to offer both the time and the money. Now we have three committed members of the team in addition to myself, ticketed and ready to go! Wow!

Here I wanted to share what we'll be on the ground doing within that first week. We are bringing two instructors from Zambia to share their successful drip irrigation protocol. They will bring drip line, fittings, and the basics to make this system work. They have been implementing this approach in Bulawayo where the water is even more difficult to obtain. These pictures are from their work there.

Its all about the gravity feed!
We buy the poles and buckets to make the table top reservoir that will feed each hose.
They provide the drip irrigation and teach more about raised beds.
Covo (traditional greens like chard or spinach) and tomatoes are being grown here.
Check out that tomato production!
Onions are also a favorite.
The mulching of the middle rows is a standard permaculture practice that they will teach.
This is an incredible harvest for any area!
From big plants to little ones, this technique works!
The lower leaves of this older Covo are being harvested.

Manually buckets of water are poured into the large 5 gallon bucket. Through the gravity feed the water is taken to the end of the row giving just enough water for plant health.

We are excited to implement this at the preschool garden. We will be starting with a small system of 30 meters. Tune in for an update in a couple of weeks!

This kind of prosperous gardening could turn the preschool into a self-sufficient operation in a matter of time. Purchasing the drip line is the primary expense in the operation. Thank you for the special help with these projects.

Mhandara Monthly Care Update

by FundraisersHealthYouth Well Being

Please check out the latest about our Mhandara Monthly Care (MMC) program in this link! (or paste this in your browser https://ancient-ways.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/MMC-Request.pdf)

 

We are asking for your consideration to send this to anyone you know who has a heart for females and the challenges that face them, particularly in Africa. 

 

We have an incredible program with an excellent track record...check out our website.  With very little funding we can intercede on behalf many of our MMC maturing girls' lives in 2019!

 

Please forward...thank you so much!

Jaiaen’s Field Report #3

by AllField ReportsHealthProject Updates

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

by AllField ReportsHealthProject UpdatesYouth Well Being

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

 

 

Upcoming Trip to Zimbabwe

by AllHealthProject UpdatesYouth Well Being

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://www.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://www.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

 

Great W.A.T.E.R! News!

by AllFundraisersHealth

W.A.T.E.R! = Wells And Toilets Everyone’s Right! After some difficulties in acquiring cement, we are now in a position to source the cement for wells! Ancient Ways has saved enough since 2013 to build 22 wells right away before the rainy season comes in November. Around 7% of the residents have a pure water well. We have about 515 left to build, 280 in Nhimbe and 235 in Jangano.
If you have a “special project” jar, in which you have saved up your skipped-video-or-latte money, or, are moved in your heart to make a big difference in an extended family’s life, consider DONATING NOW at https://www.ancient-ways.org/programs/facilities-improvement/water-for-wells/.
Don’t hesitate…Join us in our W.A.T.E.R! program. One well costs $250 to build , or $23/month if using a reoccurring credit card (CALL THE OFFICE at 541-259-HOPE or 877-TATENDA). Any amount helps…Plus, your family surname is painted on the well. Thank you for increasing a family’s garden productivity, overall health and wellbeing, as well as ensuring their future. Always feel free to call or write with questions! Tatenda Chaizvo!

NMT Practitioners to Donate Treatments for Village Residents

by with No Comment AllHealthProject Updates

Our Donhodzo Health Center provides services to anyone who comes to its doors without charge.  We offer conventional approaches, traditional herbs, alternative methods and counseling.  One of the alternatives is that our Senior Nurse has been trained in NMT (see nmt.md) and has had great success.  An adjunct to this is a new program that he will be setting up, so that practitioners from the US may remotely treat village residents with NMT.  Ancient Ways will obtain tests, blood for instance, CT-4, etc., as part of the before and after comparison for clinical purposes as the need exists.

Underwear for Over There a Huge Success!

by with No Comment AllHealthProject UpdatesYouth Well Being

Our Senior Nurse reports: “All girls have been afforded underwear in a colorful presentation ceremony by our Director which coincided with the August Girl Guides Camp. This goes a long way in addressing the many sanitary issues of the girl child in our disadvantaged communities. " Check out the video soon to be online.  In hind sight, its clear that purchasing underwear was a first step towards assisting the young girls with their monthly care challenges, which has recently been brought to our attention. "Their parents have expressed their profound joy for the timely and most appropriate gift of a lifetime.”

 

Donhodzo Health Update

by with No Comment AllHealthProject Updates

Our Senior Nurse reports that, “The Donhodzo staff would like to give thanks for the continued provision of the most vital medicines that have made a huge impact and quality difference in the wellbeing of our community and beyond.  Together with our health promotional approach, we are witnessing a major decline in health concerns within our communities. The importance of water, sanitation and hygiene is beginning to make a difference in the lives of many, as few are seeking major health services and primarily coming for first aid.

The main challenge has been bilharzias, which has affected a lot of school-going kids up to secondary level. The problem has been compounded by the fact that our Donhodzo center has been the only place with Praziquental tablets that can cure the disease thus putting a strain on our supply.”

Preschool Health Update from Nhimbe

by with No Comment AllHealthProject UpdatesYouth Well Being

Our Senior Nurse reports “We had an exceptional term in which our preschool kids were generally healthy with no reported disease outbreak, but only a few bouts of flu and cough from the harsh winter cold winds. The supply of food has been timely, constant and balanced. We also would like to commend the community residents for they have been quick to respond to all firewood issues. We have been closely monitoring our preschool kids and we are pleased that we are recording few cases of diarrhea and skin diseases, which in the past have been major issues.