July 2002 Newsletter

Dear all,

I have just got back from my third trip to Zimbabwe this year. Final purchases have been made, orders chased, paper-work has been stamped by the authorities and, everything crossed, the container will make its way to Durban next week. Hopefully the goods will arrive early September in good time for me to get them ready for Autumn selling. How I am going to handle, store and sell this volume of goods does wake me up most nights but I do know that in the short term it has kept several groups in business which in turn has provided the wherewithal to feed families. An appalling statistic is that many of the women workers are now providing for over 18 members of an extended family. There is huge un-employment, staggering 110% inflation, poverty and now hunger but there is still an indomitable spirit and unbelievable FAITH AND HOPE. I think this is what drives me on to continue to try to help in my modest little way.

I have reams of e mails on the pre and post election scenario, reports on political violence and hard hitting reportage documentaries. If anyone wants to read or borrow, please phone me…..There seems little hope of a re-run election. Zanu PF militia and war veterans are a continuing threat and there are countless reports of intimidation and looting.

As you will have probably heard on the news more than 2000 white farmers have been given a deadline of August 10 th to get off their farms. Some 400 are trying to start afresh in South Africa, Mozambique or Zambia. The Land Acquisition Act made it illegal to sow crops, plough fields or feed animals on the listed farms. There has been mass slaughter of livestock and many domestic animals from abandoned farms are just wandering by the side of the road. On the way back to Harare from Bulawayo last week, I should have passed through miles of ‘winter green. ’Not a single field of winter wheat had been sown. The departure of the white farmers will mean more than 100,000 black farmers will also be out of work. The latter will also lose their homes, schooling for their children and their means of providing food. I think there is a genuine fear that hunger will lead to despair and anger. I was in one of the more remote valleys, Buhera on this last trip with a craft worker who is helping groups to make better products. When we arrived at the meeting point no-one was there just a few people who looked to us hopefully for food. There seemed to be little other than sugar cane.

For my friends living in Harare life goes on! Each day brings new challenges and new shortages: fuel, soap, oil, salt, sugar, medicines and last week bread . With no foreign exchange available imported goods are at a premium and repairs to machinery and equipment either impossible or a triumph of ingenuity. There is another wave of departures, especially the elderly dependent on medicines and families with young children– black and white families who have the money to take remedial action. The Government has a new examination scheme which will replace GCE and A Levels and thereby make studying at a foreign university more difficult. One option seems to be to sneak in the International Baccalaureat which doesn’t so far appear to be on the black list!!

On an education note, the students I am sponsoring are all still in school apart from Rumbidzai who successfully completed her A Levels and is now at University studying pathology – her dream come true!! The school fees keep apace with inflation which means I am forever topping up the accounts. With the money you helped me raise last year I have supported 6 children at various stages of schooling, sponsored vocational training at evening school for two young ladies, bought 2 water-bearing oxen for a community tourist project at Chesvingo, bought countless sacks of maize for desperate women, provided a web site and materials for embroidery for Mothers of Disabled children. There are some letters and CV’s which I usually carry with me to sales, so if you are interested do ask to see the folder. Additionally I have continued,when safe,to take photographs of the rural groups. One of these fine days I’ll have an exhibition (in my spare time!!) but in the meantime do ask to look in the shoe-box…

Finally a HUGE thank you to my family for supporting me through what have been a very demanding few months. To all the hostesses who opened their homes for sales last year – another HUGE thank you (this is sounding like the Oscars ). Special mention too for Jacquee Pavlosky for hosting a fund-raising safari dinner and Kate McGlone and Zara Radford who baked cakes on Sunday to sell at school on Monday and raised a magnificent £120 which has been used to build much needed shelving and buy metal storage lockers for the books we bought at Boromo Primary School.

As I have spent so much money on goods this year I would be eternally grateful for offers to host sales for me. I really do need to re-dress the financial damage as quickly as possible. I hope to start selling at the end of September until early December. Textiles, aluminium, papier mache, exciting candles, recycled steel birds, jewellery, mohair and angora stoles and throws, wooden bowls and animals, wrapping paper, cards, books, baskets, embroidered childrens pyjamas, railway sleeper gifts, soaps, oils and finally, a new adventure, hand-spun wild silk stoles, scarves and throws from Madagascar (another political mess!!). Hope this whets your appetites – sales schedule in September. Hope to see you again then.

Thanks again for the support

Jane