IWantToHelpAfrica.Org

Pictures of our volunteers on April 24 helping load the shipping container.

Barbara Mbiri is a woman in Zimbabwe with an enormous heart and a practical approach to problems. A number of years ago, at the height of the worst runaway inflation and political turmoil, Barbara was struck by the number of young children being abandoned by their parents to the streets in the capital city, Harare, and left to fend for themselves. Because these children had no identification or documentation, they were not eligible for any kind of assistance by governmental programs or agencies. Most of these children had to turn to crime or begging just to stay alive. They had no place to turn for food, clothing, shelter, schooling or any of their other basic needs. Although Barbara herself had precious little to share with anyone, she felt compelled to reach out to these children and do what she could to help them. With a heart full of love and a great deal of prayer, over time she was able to arrange for lodging, food and clothing for many of these disadvantaged children. She was even able to scrape up enough money to allow many of these children to begin attending school again.

One day, as Barbara was walking through downtown Harare, she went past the Christian Science church there, that was the principal place where items from our 2009 Zimbabwe container were distributed to Zimbabweans in need. When she saw the church, the same intuition that had originally urged her to begin helping street children convinced her to go into this church (which she knew nothing about) and ask if they might have some items that could be donated to her needy street children.  The church, now abundantly supplied with what had been sent on our container, very generously donated items of clothing, blankets, books, and other literature that would both help the children practice their reading and give them some uplifting ideas to encourage them.  She later came back to talk with one of the church officials about her program with the street children, and to express her thanks for the donated items. She became so involved in a discussion about our shipping container and was so deeply moved by the love and unselfishness motivating this activity that she completely forgot about a painful stomach condition she had been suffering from and felt both relief and encouragement.

Barbara now has an ongoing informal partnership with us through the items she continues to receive, as she needs them, from our first container. She has a deep affection and gratitude for everyone who contributed to our shipping container.

The following short essay was written by one of the people involved in distributing the contents of the 2009 Shipment.

A lesson in humility

Last week we packed Pete’s small truck and set off for the Chiweshe area about 80 kms from Harare. Nearly 250-300 people were waiting for us. We had literature and clothes for them.  They sang, chanted, danced and we had speech after speech. The member for Parliament, the district administrator and all the chiefs for the area were all seated.  Leonard our librarian gave them a 10 minute mini lecture in Shona and then Pete also added his 10 minutes in English with Leonard interpreting.  After all this, it lasted for more than an hour, the literature was distributed and then the clothes were unpacked from the bales and sorted in categories. It was so beautiful to watch how they were distributing the clothing.  The orphans were first, next the oldest people.  I spotted a young boy looking very cold with inadequate clothing (it was a very cold day) and he could barely walk…I took him by the hand and helped him choose some clothing…all the school children cheered for him, seeing him in his new clothes….his smile was amazing and I will never forget the look of happiness on his face.  Both his parents were deceased, and he was looked after by his grandpa who was blind. I also saw an elderly lady sitting with her granddaughter and they too were cold with inadequate clothing. Those distributing the clothing found a sweater for the old lady, and a double layered jacket for the little girl, then they all spontaneously started dancing and singing in gratitude…the way of the African people…they show much emotion.  I felt so humbled by the people there and even though we could not meet everyone’s need that day, we knew it was a start to helping and outreach in the community. It was definitely love in action.

We are getting reports back from some remote parts of Zimbabwe where the contents of our first container have been distributed.

One example is a little boy in Zimbabwe who has spent the whole of his life, (about five years) in prison in Zimbabwe because his parents have been convicted of terrorism, in fact under any other law they may not have been convicted. This little boy received some children’s books and a bicycle donated by a bicycle shop owner in Idyllwild CA. The bicycle shop owner sent a message with the three bikes he gave telling the children they would need to look after their bikes as he, the shop owner, was not about to get on a boat and go to Africa to mend them. The message was read to the little boy.