Paddington Report: My Friend, There’s always a dream, out there, swirling around. Sometimes we fail to stop long enough, to focus on those dreams and give them names. When we visit Zimbabwe each year, I envision so many wonderful things for the beautiful people we serve there. Always, hunger is our major issue, then education. But, getting to know resourceful spirits living in thatched huts, and mud houses, something always seemed to be missing. Something that in my own privileged life, was always at hand. Books. Once a friend sent a book to Village Hope, filled with vibrant photos of different spots around the world. I will never forget the look on one young boy’s face, as he touched the pages as if they were magic. For a moment, the scenes became dimensional, and I could sense the pure wonder that the boy was experiencing. Books. So, when a friend contacted me just before Christmas saying, “I have $10,000 to give. Can we start building a library at Village Hope?” the dream took form and became real. Paddington, I wrote, you aren’t going to believe this … If you want, you can start building a library.” He answered with a photo of a truckload of building blocks … and a plan. He has designed a library building, that will also add a third grade classroom to our school. You can read the some of his plan below along with a stream of new dreams for what comes next. Doesn’t it seem that, at Village Hope, one dream becomes two and then three and then … so, surely more good things are on the way …. we must never stop dreaming! Pam Greetings to all, As we strive to achieve maximum benefits from the library and internet lab at Village Hope, our vision spreads out to serve the community. Community information centre- The facility will benefit all community members, especially children who attend Village Hope School and school elsewhere. They will be able to study and improve their school grades since most local schools are faced with challenges related to shortage of books and other reading materials. Our library will provide a wide range of reading material that appeals to the diverse information needs of our patrons. This is a far better community empowerment scheme as it enlightens the less-privileged. Women empowerment - The Library/Internet facility will be our anchor point in launching a full scale educational drive aimed at all communal members. One such targeted group are women in our community who failed to attend school due to a number of reasons. As such, many are of below average education. If their education improves, they can be gainfully employed thereby securing their families’ future. For the Elders- We will use the library and internet as part of our adult literacy scheme where adults from the community, who are interested in school work, will attend classes, learn to read books and surf the Internet just like in a normal school facility. Some have never seen a computer, held a book, or been inside a library and this experience will change their lives. As such, we hope to also hire some teachers to assist. The new Library will make many lives better than ever before. On behalf of the Village Hope family, the community, my wife and on my own behalf as I always say, I run out of words to thank you for your tireless efforts in transforming the lives of the under privileged. May the peace of our loving Father be with you always. Pass my family love to all, Paddington Paddington: I greet you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit For a casual passerby, it would have looked more like a university graduation than a graduation ceremony for ECD pupils at Village Hope School. The 1st of December 2017 marked an important milestone in the life of Village Hope School as we celebrated our third graduation since we started operating in 2015. Let me find this opportunity to appraise you of the details regarding this memorable day. As we had spent the whole year taking the children through the paces of their studies, it came a time when we needed to put aside the books and just create an atmosphere of celebration. So, in preparation for this day we bought a huge amount of food stuffs as we expected a huge guest turnout as our school has become well known. As such, the graduation ceremony attracted guests from all over the community, the surrounding schools and even from Harare, who come to offer their solidarity with us. Our key students are orphaned and vulnerable children living alone, with sick or old relatives or live in families surviving below the poverty datum line. These are children with little likelihood to attend school given that education is now paid for in Zimbabwe. So, for the few who have the privilege to learn at our school because of the efforts of people such as yourselves, the graduation ceremony was the culmination of a very memorable experience. Many guests came to see for themselves that every child is a gift from God and they also wanted to get first hand proof that our experiment of putting together children from diverse backgrounds was working. When one visits the school, it is not easy to identify the differences among the children as they all look and behave the same, dress similarly and learn the same material. Most students are from the mud huts in the mountains surrounding Village Hope and are children who might not ever have hoped to attend school on a regular basis. But we also allow admission to a few well up children from outside our rural area, whose parents believe as we do, that children from vastly different backgrounds should learn to tolerate and relate with each other as they go through their education. The event was also meant to provide a linkage between the school and the community wherein it operates. The community is like the water and the school is like the fish which cannot survive on its own. The day was a true success as every one who would come was welcome. Students were awarded prizes for their work, teachers were praised and there was food and fellowship for all. The oldest group of pupils are now going into grade three and we anticipate that the competitive environment that was created in the ECD level will remain a Village Hope culture as you join with us to strive to create a new generation of children ready for a brighter future. My Kind Regards to All, Paddington Dear Village Hope Friends, I greet you in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. It has been a while without us communication. This is because I have been putting in place all things necessary for a successful second term. This is an update on all the things that I have covered as of today on a stage by stage basis. School fees – all the fees for all the pupils at home and elsewhere have been paid in full. School uniform- since pupils were using skirts, shorts and dresses during the last term, this term there has been a need to change to winter uniforms. This is because the weather has become chilly lately so the pupils now have blazers, trousers and long sleeved shirts. This is as per government requirement whereby every winter all pupils have to wear warm clothes to protect them from the harsh weather. This will help them concentrate better in their studies without worrying about the cold winds. We have also bought school bags and shoes for the children so that they do not feel out of place at school which might affect their concentration. Stationery- we also bought extra stationery such as books. We want our children to have access to the best reading and writing material so that they are up to the standard required by government in all schools. It is our family standard to aim very high in all things we do such that it is up to the pupils to do their best and not end up blaming anyone for their failure. To be honest with you dear friends we are trying our level best as Village Hope to put our children first for their best interest. Food stuffs- I am very pleased to advise that we have managed to buy all the food stuff for the term both for the school and for Village Hope. This is very critical as we always want to stock sufficiently for the term as it is hard to keep buying on a daily basis. Only perishables such as bread are acquired on a regular daily basis. Due to changes in the weather there is need to change the diet a bit to include warmer food stuffs such as tea and coffee. Diet- this term we have improved our diet for our school. We have added more food stuffs than before as we aim to achieve better healthy for our children and encourage to come and concentrate. We have shifted from orange juice to milk which is more nutritious. In addition milk can be heated to add warmth to the children in this cold weather. Milk is also a high protein food stuff compared to orange juice which has high energy content. We have also added more eggs to the diet to build on protein which can be converted to fat. This helps keep the children warm once again. We have also slaughtered one of our beasts for relish for both home and school. This means that we have slaughtered two beasts for these two terms. This is because as our number keep growing consumption levels also rise. School feeding program- if you can recall my words, if I come across a situation which is very pathetic sometimes I cannot be able to express my gratitude. So I always ask God, the Almighty to show thanks on my behalf. This year we experienced a severe drought in most parts of Zimbabwe due to erratic rains. We received good rains at the start of the summer season but the rains vanished when crops were tasseling. This means that not all families will have sufficient food till the next cropping seasons. There is therefore a need to provide food relief. This is comparable to a situation we faced in 2008 when some people had to depend on wild fruits for survival. Village Hope rescued a number of families who were starving due to drought. Basing on that experience I find myself out of words to say thank you for the help towards feeding the community. This term we managed to deliver tonnes of maheu drink to numerous schools. Ever since we introduced maheu in different schools the enrolment has increased and the average performance also rose. For example a child whom we supported from Village Hope was a boy living with a grandmother who benefitted from the “Pass It On” project. We enrolled the young boy to study at a nearby school and he did wonders by passing with 2As, 4Bs and 1C in his ordinary level examinations. This is the highest record ever recorded by a community school. This boy did not have a birth certificate, national identity card or uniform for school and Village Hope assisted him to acquire all these. This is a good demonstration of the performance of children who reside in a caring community where they get all the requirements for good growth such as food and clothing all because of your caring love. This term the school feeding program will be even more important as children will get more of their food at school compared to home. This is because in most homes there is nothing due to poor harvests. Things are not very bad in the first part of the dry season but as stocks run low in most homes the situation will become critical. Community feeding program- as I mentioned earlier that the numbers are falling due to what I feel like political tension, this year there were a number of changes of a political nature. The ruling party changed a number of their constituency leaders and the Vice President. There is therefore a need to conduct elections to fill in the gap left and so we are faced with elections once again on June 10, 2015. This means that it is hard to organise large gatherings because this may be mistaken for political activity. We are however continuing with the project but we hope that with time our number will grow once again. The Village Hope School- this term we have enrolled six new pupils for the ECD class. On the other hand four children dropped due to different reasons. Two of them dropped on medical grounds and one moved with the parents when they shifted from the community and the other one just dropped back but the parents said she will resume next term. My dear friends it is a blessing to have these children at Village Hope as our children in Christ. They are ours because God gave them to us to look after as they were made in His image. As I mentioned earlier that the school will be our foundation for more future projects for sure it’s a new generation ready for a bright future. The school will cater for generations to come and this project is now beyond our imagination as it will cater for people whom we have not even met. So far the school has been able to mix pupils from very different backgrounds into one class of happy children. Some are very poor indeed, while other are better off and yet others come from very well off backgrounds. This mixture helps the children relate well with each other and learn each other’s cultures and backgrounds. This will help them understand each other better than before. We have been able to change the uniform to winter wear which includes trousers and long sleeved shirts. These are our own designs but they are in line with government requirements. At times you cannot even imagine that some of these designs are coming from me. To be honest I have done my level best in order to make our school look even much better. Some words of advice- at first we gave out a free uniform but we had to sell in order to acquire new fabric. This is not a profit making venture but an attempt to ensure that all our children are uniformed so that there is no noticeable difference between them. We are going to discuss this when you visit so that we can easily map the way forward. School furniture- we also bought four chairs and four tables for the teachers and cupboards for the storage of learning material. In addition to this we are going to fit four fire extinguishers into each of the classrooms. There will also be four buckets full of sand in case of fire danger. We also hope to install hand rails on classroom walls for easy grip by the pupils. Our corridors are not level and the children need to have protection. Here we are all doing well. Stay blessed in Jesus in name. Paddington. VILLAGE HOPE FAMILY 2013 ANNUAL REPORT I greet you all in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We thank the Almighty Father that He has been faithful in guiding us to this day. Just as Samuel did on that day we can say that, thus far the Lord has helped us. We express our heartfelt appreciation to your continued support and unwavering commitment to see Village Hope stand and shine in the community and to the entire nation. We take this time to walk you through all that we have managed to cover during the entire year. We had mile stone achievements and we are pleased to report on the great exploits that we had. FIRST TERM 2013 The year started on a good note as it was punctuated by your visit to the family and the family trip to Great Zimbabwe. Up to this day we appreciate the gesture and the time that we shared. School Developments We managed to send all our children back to school for a new year. Some were going into new grades and some going into their final years at high school. We paid all the fees, bought the uniforms and stationery for all the children. Some of the children who wrote their examinations last year were awaiting their results which finally came in February. Irene, Theresa and George went back to school inorder to supplement their subjects. At the end of the term, the children in primary school did fairly well and there were signs of hard work with the children in secondary school. The term started and ended on a good note with no major challenges. When the April holiday came we were keen on promoting a culture of study in our children. We had to make our children attend extra lessons and we monitored their studies as we sought to improve the pass rate in the family. Developments in the Home We started work on the drainage system as we had scheduled. We mobilized for all the material that was needed to erect the drainage system. Our aim was to ensure that the property is not destroyed by running water and we managed to finish the first phase of the project. In the end the demarcation for the drainage system helped us as it is now acting as a barrier to animals since they can no longer stray into our fields. We earmarked the renovations of ceilings as the second project that we had to undertake after the drainage system phase 1 that we have successfully accomplished. We faced a challenge with our electricity supplier as they decided to unilaterally switch us off despite the payment we had made. We had to rush and make another payment. Electricity continues to one of the expensive items on our budget. We had incidences where our beasts fell into water filled pits as it was during the rainy season. This made us to avoid certain grazing areas during the term. Forget The Social Welfare during this term called us regarding the case of Forget who is now part of the family. The boy came from a tormenting background and we thank the Almighty Father that he is now in a safe place where he can access food, shelter, clothing and education. We appreciate your support relating to the matter of Forget (who is now called David). Community Developments Pass it On The Pass it On program continued to roll to life in the first term of 2013. Beneficiaries continued to reap benefits from the project and some beasts and goats gave birth to more offspring. We had a setback when one of the beneficiaries decided to sell a beast without our knowledge. Such incidents threaten the long term objective of the project. School feeding Program We managed to timorously roll the school feeding program in the first term. Notwithstanding the challenges that our supplier was facing the product was delivered. The children expressed their appreciation of the noble gesture. Since it was an athletics term, the consignment went a long way in helping the plight of the children. SECOND TERM 2013 School Developments The term started on a positive note since preparations were thoroughly done. We had our children attending seven different schools. We thank God that we managed to transport our children to school daily. Two of our children wrote supplementary subjects in the June 2013 examinations. We thank the Lord Almighty Father for granting them health and safety as they prepared and finally wrote the examinations. The term ended early as it paved way for the harmonized elections that were to be held on July 31. There were no challenges at school as our children behave well and faired very well at the end of the term. Home Developments Ceiling Renovations Our major focus was to renovate the ceilings of the second house. We managed to do that very impressively. We fitted the Rhino board ceiling which are fireproof and that is a welcome development to the safety of the family. Drainage Channel phase 2 We extended the wall of the drainage channel in phase 2 of the project to become a durawall. This means that security on the property had been enhanced and on the same note our animals cannot stray into our maize field. The new Van We had been praying and praying that we get a van that can be able to send children to school and do other business without major challenges. Our prayers were answered. The old van had started giving us challenges and was nolonger reliable. I managed to have a successful trip to South Africa to buy the van. The Almighty Father guided us and we managed to buy a good van. We bought a Nissan Caravan long base. We maintained the silver colour and we managed to register the car for use and it is now fully operational. Someone bought the old van for $5000.00. It was all joy as we bought the new van and managed to sell the old van that was now giving us challenges. Family Projects The number of our goats continues to multiply and we bless the Almighty Father. We lost a Freezeland during the term and that was setback to our objective of crossbreeding our animals. We are happy that our poultry project is growing in strides and we are teaching our children how to look after the animals and the birds. The feeding for the Freezelands continued to be a challenge but we appreciate your support as we seek to boost our family herd. Outside Projects Development Mbuya Nehanda Orphanage We managed to launch the poultry project at the orphanage centre and we are pleased with the progress and cooperation that we got from the centre. We were pleased by the issue of continuity in the project that they have mastered as they went from the second batch to the third batch. Although they have not maintained the number at 1000 because they use the proceeds to meet some need of the institution, we are very pleased that they have managed keep the project rolling. School Furniture We managed to buy school furniture for a nearby school which was facing challenges with their old and breaking down furniture. The chairs that we bought went a long way in helping the school. Feeding Program We continued with our school feeding program by supplying the highly nutritious drink of Nutresco Mahewu. The children continue to enjoy the drink and the feedback from the children regarding the drink was very encouraging. Schools Poultry Project It is pleasing to note that the project continued to have life although there were different stages of development. One of the schools managed to buy the second batch of chickens as they uphold the concept of continuity that we laid as the foundation of the project. The other schools have not yet managed to buy the second batch. It remains our drive to see that children are empowered with practical skills such as poultry so that they can be able to support the initiatives in the community and in the long term is able to start their projects. Community Poultry Project There was a very huge development of the project and particularly by the achievement that was been registered by one of the families. Two of the families taking part in the project were now on the 6th batch. That is a record achievement in the project in the history of the project. That was milestone and a testimony that will be cherished by other members of the community. The other beneficiaries learnt the art of consistency and steadfastness as they engage in their activities. Pass it On The highest achiever had 15 goats and the second family had 12 goats. The interesting part of it is that the families have been selling some of the goats in order to meet the school fees of their children and in some cases for groceries and other pressing family needs. Pass it On is bearing fruits and the results continued to be evident in the community. The objective that the people of the community should embrace the objective of sustainable development was being realized. The worst case scenario was that of families that received goats, a beast and chickens but today they cannot account for any of the things that they received. This was a setback to our thrust for community development. Social Welfare Officers Visit During the course of the term we had visits from officers who are part of the Social Services department. We shared with them our experience and help each other to look into issues that need their expertise and consultation. Their visits ensured that we are in line with their expectations and doing the best for the children. Women Empowerment Our women empowerment project continued to grow in leaps and bounds. We appreciate the support that we are getting from you. We bought 10 new sewing machines for the project. This allowed the women to be able to move into the area of making school uniforms that they can sell to the nearby schools. In the short term they were able to learn and acquire the skills for cutting and designing but in the long term they will be able reap from the project and support their families. Empowering the women is empowering the community given that it is the women in most families who are the breadwinners and women never forsake their families. The new machines took the empowerment drive to a new level and the lives of the women will never be same and their families. General Term Challenges There were not many challenges in the second term. The van breakdowns were one of the challenges and that was addressed. The other challenge was that of the illness of one of the family members. When one of the family members is not well it disturbs the whole family. We were shaken but we continued to ask the Almighty to intervene. The other challenge was the behavior of the new member of the family whom we had to integrate into the family. We faced some challenges as he could not practice good hygiene and in some cases he would come from school late. THIRD TERM 2013 School Developments Schools opened early to compensate for the time that was lost as they closed early paving way for elections. School fees for all the children were timeously paid before the opening of the schools. We bought uniforms for all the children who had outstanding items that needed to be bought. As our policy we do not buy school uniforms every term for all the children but we consider those that have needs as the term begins. We bought stationery for all the children to meet the school requirements for the third term and extras for their study at home. All school needs were met and the children are attended school daily. SCHOOL REPORT It is unbelievable that David came first and highest in all the subjects that he sat for and he did not get less than 90% in all the subjects. This clearly shows the hand of the Almighty Father in the life of David and looking at his background it is an impressive performance. Indeed the face of the Almighty Father is shining upon his life. This will serve as an encouragement to the other children that nothing can stand in the way of a person if they put all their effort. In the same light of pleasing performance was Arlene who did very well at preschool. She will going to continue into next level the coming year. She has managed to defeat her background and she is working hard. It is pleasing to see her determination at such a tender age. Number 2 was Lindiwe who is in Grade 6. She is producing excellent performance and if she maintains her performance she will get very good grades in Grade 7. That will boost her chances of getting placement at a better school after she finishes her Grade 7. We continue to encourage her to keep working hard despite the good results. On number 3 is Shorai. Although her performance is good she has not been able to consistently deliver the best grades that she obtained in the previous terms. We are doing all to make sure that she keeps the momentum as she goes into Grade 6 next year. Number 4 is Nicolletta who is in Grade 5. She continues to do well although her performance is average. We are finding ways to move her from being a mediocre student and aim higher. Winnie and Pamela have not been producing satisfactory results. Their performance has been below average and we are looking at ways of improving their results. They are struggling with their school work and we feel we have to seek assistance so that they can be moved to a safe place. We always remind them of the importance of school in this age and encourage them to put more effort. Lovemore’s academic performance is also worrying. He failed all his subjects and the teachers indicated on his report that he is rude and stubborn in class. This is a worrisome development for the family. We do all we can to send the children to school and teach them at home to behave well but he is not representing the family well. We are closely monitoring him so that he can improve his performance and behaviour. John sat for his Grade 7 examinations and he produced average results. He got 20 units and he will be going to Form 1 next year. He needs to pull up his socks if he is going to produce good results in secondary education. Moreblessing got above average results in her end of year examinations. We continue to encourage her as she goes into Form 3 which forms the foundation of Ordinary level education. She shows potential to do better if motivated. Edgar also produced above average results and it seems he is now realizing the importance of education after failing to produce passes in his first attempt at a boarding school. If he remains focused he can produce excellent results. The third term had three of our children writing their examinations in November. George and Tapiwa wrote their Advanced Level examinations while Theresa wrote her Ordinary level examinations. The results will be known end of January or early February 2014 and if they do well the boys will proceed to university and Theresa will go into Advanced Level. Irene’s progress We are happy that Irene passed her June examinations and she now has all the subjects that she needs to proceed to the next level and train as a teacher. This third term we were busy going about Teacher’s Colleges where she was attending interviews. The interviews will determine whether she will be accepted or not. We are praying that the Almighty Father may open doors for her. Home Developments Charmaine’s Visit As usual we took time to visit Charmaine and her grandparents in the rural areas. This was a journey of discovery as we learnt that Lovemore, David and Pamela come from the same area as Charmaine. We continue to monitor the welfare of Charmaine and support her in all ways possible as she is in the custody of her relatives. We are happy that she is looking healthy and settled with the new grandmother that her grandfather married. Electricity We continued to face challenges with our supplier of electricity. They changed the meter to a prepaid meter and they insisted on charging us commercial rate because of the grinding meal. We had challenges to register the new meter and the outstanding amount on the electricity bill. We arranged that we will be paying them in installments. The prepaid billing system has proved to be a little bit cheaper as compared to the estimated billing system they were using to charge us. This November we used an average of $300 which was not possible in the past as they were charging us an average of $600 per month. From Forget to David After deliberations with you and the family we managed to change Forget’s name to David. This will give him a new lease of life and impact positively on his life. The other children are now comfortable with the name and we are hopeful the boy is on a path to transformation. Drainage system enhancement We have embarked on another phase of the drainage system. We realized that the rains falling on the premises are washing away the soil and are a threat to the rock boundaries that were erected. We are now reinforcing the rock boundaries and dealing with the new challenge of draining that we discovered after the previous phases. Family Projects Our family poultry project continues to roar into life. We thank the Almighty Father that the number of beasts and goats continue to multiply. Despite the challenges that we faced with our beasts in the past two terms we are happy with the state of our animals. Outside Home Developments School Feeding Program We once again managed to successfully launch the feeding program for the three schools that we had been consistently supplying with the nutritious Nutresco Mahewu. We have delivered the product to all the schools. We are encouraged by the response that the children continue to give regarding the supply of the product for their consumption. This third term was summer and the temperatures were relatively high and the demand for the drink by the school children was high. We reiterated the need for the school authorities to continually update us regarding the progress of the feeding program. One of the schools has indicated that they are facing water challenges. 4th school Identification We undertook to research on satellite school and identify a 4th school that we can consider for the school feeding program. After visiting four schools during the research we chose one school which is near the orphanage and the school has 712 pupils. According to the research we carried out we identified that the school will need assistance just like the ones we are already assisting. Pass It On The project continues to be a success as beneficiaries are getting more offspring s. Many families are now benefiting from selling the goats and they can afford to put food on the table this coming festive season. We are pleased with the feedback we are receiving from the beneficiaries relating to the assistance that the goats and the beasts have given them. We will update our databases soon about the offsprings. Women Empowerment The third term marks the end of the year of Empowerment. It was indeed a year of Empowerment for the women as they benefited a lot this year. This year alone they acquired cutting and designing skills and they were empowered with state of the art new sewing machines as a group. This is indeed empowerment on its highest level. The lives of the women will never be that of idle people or gossipers but they are now productive women and community builders. Community Feeding Program The whole of 2013 we continued with our community feeding program initiative. Not all family members despite the interventions we have done can put food on their tables throughout the year. Every Sunday after our church service we gather as a family and the community and share food together. We also give milk to children from the community as part of the community feeding initiative. This promotes not only a healthy community or the spirit of sharing but it builds and cements harmony in the community. Through the initiative we are promoting unity and one-ness among community members who used to be marked by religious and social differences. The same platform also serves as a time of interaction on the word of God and the progress on the various community initiatives. As we build relationships among the community members we are also promoting a healthy relationship with them so that we can realize our objective of transforming the community into a company of productive and empowered individuals. We once again appreciate your support in this cause of transforming the image of the community. The Lord will surely bless you in due time. CONCLUSION The Almighty Father has been faithful and we are witnesses of His hand in 2013. We had elections in 2013 but the Almighty Father protected us from the dangers that are associated with African elections. He gave health to the family and we went about our duties and the children attended school and wrote their examinations. More news to come................................. Pass my family love to all. Stay blessed VHF. For 1st and second terms I greet you all in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The moment that all the children have been waiting for has finally arrived. The schools closed today the 26th of July 2013. The schools have closed a week earlier according to the scheduled school calendar inorder to pave way for the impending harmonized elections in the country that will be held on the 31st of July this month. In the same manner the schools are set to be opened a week earlier to allow the children to compensate for the one week lost this past term. As our tradition and to uphold consistency we take our time at the end of every term to carefully account and track all the things that would have happened during the term. Our review of the term will focus on the following key areas: A. The Environment of the Village Hope family B. Food C. Clothing D. Stationery E. Health F. Transport G. Schools Attended H. Children’s Academic Performance I. Home Development J. Outside Projects Development K. Other Term Achievements L. General Term Challenges The Environment of the family On this part we scan and assess the general environment of the family and conclude as to whether it was conducive for the social, physical and academic welfare of the family. We look at whether the home was conducive for habitation, study and development. We are pleased to say that the atmosphere in the home was very conducive and peaceful. Children could study, take their meals and engage in all activities in a peaceful, harmonious and tranquil environment. There was no disruption to the studies of the children since we would use the generator if there were power cuts related to load shedding. In the home we also took our time to give spiritual and moral guidance to the children. On this note we devote our time to sit together as a family and engage in bible study. This is meant to produce children who are spiritually and morally balanced for interaction with the society. We also allow children to take part in the activities in the home such as rearing of animals and the poultry project. This is meant to equip them with life skills that will sustain them outside the environment of the home as they will not spend the rest of their lives under our care. Food There was adequate supply of food for the family during this second term of the year 2013. The Village Hope family culture allows every child to be served individually and we have maintained our concept of serving as buffet. Although the rate of consumption goes up in winter as the body would want to generate more heat we were able to meet the demand for foodstuffs and this one of the major factors that provides a conducive environment in the family. Clothing and Uniforms This past term was in the winter season. We ensured that all our children had adequate and warm clothing so that they would not easily catch colds or fever. We continued to buy and to look at the individual needs for uniforms for every child. It is our baseline as the Village Hope Family to ensure that all the children have proper school uniforms. This helps in portraying the image of the family and making the children to feel confident at school. We do not want our children to feel inferior by their dressing in the company of other children. Stationery We ensured that all our children had enough stationery to meet the school requirements and at the same time to cover for their supplementary studying at home. It remains our objective to have our children improve their grades and get better results in their final examinations. Adequate stationery is a tool to providing good education for our children who are the future of the world. Health Most of the children in the family were healthy for the entire term apart from infrequent headaches, flue and colds that can be associated with the winter season. This term we only had one child who fell terribly ill during the course of the term. Nicoleta had inflamated joints and was feeling weak and dizzy. We took her to hospital and they requested that tests be done on the child. When the tests were done they came out all negative. On the other hand the medication that she was given during the time that the tests were being done miraculously worked and the child got better. This was not the first time that the child had this kind of illness but this once happened in 2010 and only to resurface again in 2013. The nature of the illness has not been ascertained but some doctors had suggested that it could be chronic juvenile arthritis. The suggestion was proved wrong through the tests that were done. We are hopeful that the diagnosis will be made and the child will be cure. We continue to pray to the Almighty Father to guide the family and protect it from the outbreak of diseases that are spreading in the country and the whole world. Transport I am pleased to report that we managed to transport all the children from home to school daily. In turn we would transport them home again in the late afternoon. We experienced some breakdowns associated with the van but the problem was rectified. Our children were always punctual at school and that is the best way for them to start the day and we are putting that seed of punctuality in their lives. Schools Attended Our children who are the Village Hope family members learn at seven different schools. The children are attending the best schools in the country. This is in line with our mandate to make sure that we produce children who have better grades and who can be competitive on the job market. All our children go to mixed group A schools and some to multiracial schools. This is meant to ensure that they master the art of coexistence with others and develop with a global mind. Children’s Academic Performance Our primary school children continue to do well in their studies and we are pleased with their performance. We started with them from preschool and they are producing good results which reflect the input that that they are receiving from the family. We also have one child in preschool. She is doing very well and we are happy that she will be going to grade 1 next year. She continues to impress us and make us see the hand of God as she came from a very terrible background. We also commend the effort being put by the children in secondary school in their studies. We have two girls who wrote final examinations in June as they were supplementing inorder to make sure that they get enough passes to proceed to Advanced Level. The girls are awaiting their results which are likely to come in September. We have two boys who will be sitting for their Advanced Level this coming third term. One of them will be repeating but the other one will be attempting for the first time. This stage will determine whether they will be able to go university if they score highly or the will go colleges for courses. We are praying that the Almighty Father may bless the children with wisdom and knowledge. Home Development I am really pleased to report on this part as we managed to do all that we had planned to do within the scope of this term. Our major focus was to renovate the ceilings of the second house. We managed to that very impressively. We fitted the Rhino board ceiling which are fireproof and that is a welcome development to the safety of the family. The water channel has since been finished and its completion was a major development as it led us to another development. We extended the wall of the channel to become a durawall. This means that security on the property had been enhanced and on the same note our animals cannot stray into our maize field. Outside Projects Development Mbuya Nehanda Orphanage We managed to launch the poultry project at the orphanage centre and we are pleased with the progress and cooperation that we got from the centre. They are now in their second batch of the chicken and the manager has since advised us that they are going into the third batch soon. We are pleased by the issue of continuity that they have mastered. Although they have not maintained the number at 1000 because they use the proceeds to meet some need of the institution, we are very pleased that they have managed keep the project rolling. School Furniture We managed to buy school furniture for a nearby school which was facing challenges with their old and breaking down furniture. The chairs that we bought will go a long way in helping school. Feeding Programme We continued with our school feeding programme by supplying the highly nutritious drink of Nutresco Mahewu. The children continue to enjoy the drink and the feedback from the children regarding the drink is very encouraging. We are expecting reports from the schools about the feeding project as we plan for the term which will be hot. Schools Poultry Project It is pleasing to note that the project continues to have life although there are different stages of development. One of the schools has managed to buy the second batch of chickens as they uphold the concept of continuity that we laid as the foundation of the project. The other schools have not yet managed to buy the second batch. It remains our drive to see that children are empowered with practical skills such as poultry so that they can be able to support the initiatives in the community and in the long term is able to start their projects. Community Poultry Project We are happy with the development of the project and particularly by the achievement that has been registered by one of the families. Two of the families taking part in the project are now on the 6th batch. This is a record achievement in the project in the history of the project. This is a milestone and a testimony that will be cherished by other members of the community. The other beneficiaries will learn the art of consistency and steadfastness as they engage in their activities. Pass it On At this point I want to mention one of the successful families. This family passed the first beast to the next family and they remained with one beast. As I report the beast gave birth to a bull calf last year and now the beast is now encalf and they will be getting another beast any time from now. The other family now has two beasts after passing the first beast to the next family. The calf is still sucking milk and this is all positive development in line with the project. This is a clear touch of the hand of the Almighty Father. Regarding the goats, the highest achiever now has 15 goats and the other family has 12 goats. The interesting part of it is that the families have been selling some of the goats inorder to meet the school fees of their children and in some cases for groceries and other pressing family needs. Pass it On is now bearing fruits and the results are now evident in the community. This has been our objective that the people of the community should embrace the objective of sustainable development. The worst case scenario is that of families that received goats, a beast and chickens but today they cannot account for any of the things that they received. This is a set back to our thrust for community development. Social Welfare Officers Visit During the course of the term we had visits from officers who are part of the Social Services department. We share with them our experience and help each other to look into issues that need their expertise and consultation. Their visits ensure that we are in line with their expectations and doing the best for the children. Other Community Achievements Sunday school This term we managed to send two of our boys and one community member for Sunday School training. We are pleased that we have now a functional Sunday school in the home and that caters for the community. We are pleased that our boys bare now responsible and the family will be well grounded by the new development. The new Van I have been praying and praying that we get a van that can be able to send children to school and do other business without major challenges. As I advised you earlier on that I will be going to the South African border to buy a van, I managed to have a successful trip. The Almighty Father guided us and we managed to buy a good van. We bought a Nissan Caravan long base. We maintained the silver color and the van was being used as a panel van in Japan. It has one row of seats at the back and we need to put two more rows so that all our children can fit. We are still working on the registration of the car and putting new seats. From there I will be able to tell the total cost of the van and the whole process. Still on the good news I am pleased to advise you that the old van was bought. Someone bought it for $5000.00. He transferred the amount into our account as proof of payment and a proof of receipt inorder to declare to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority. Forget We thank God for another family that was added to the Village Hope family. Forget became a new member of the family and we are pleased that he is finding his way as we guide him into the culture of the Village Hope family. Given his background we have had some challenges with him associating with the other family members and issues relating to school. We are praying to the Almighty Father that he may be transformed and fit into the family. We managed to send him to a nearby school and we are happy that he is back at school and we are continually monitoring him. Women Empowerment Our women empowerment project continues to grow in leaps and bounds. We appreciate the support that we are getting from you. We recently bought 10 new sewing machines for the project. This will allow the women to be able to move into the area of making school uniforms that they can sell to the nearby schools. In the short term they will be able to learn and acquire the skills for cutting and designing but in the long term they will be able reap from the project and support their families. Empowering the women is empowering the community given that it is the women in most families who are the breadwinners and women never forsake their families. The new machines take the empowerment drive to a new level and the lives of the women will never be same and their families. General Term Challenges There were not many challenges this term that we may need to highlight. The van breakdowns were one of the challenges but that has since been addressed. The other challenge was that of the illness of one of the family members. When one of the family members is not well it disturbs the whole family. We were shaken but we continue to ask the Almighty to intervene. The other challenge was the behaviour of the new member of the family whom we had to integrate into the family. We faced some challenges as he could not practice good hygiene and in some cases he would come from school late. I attached a number of photos for all the development that we have made which I thought could explain much better than words. Please confirm you saw them. First Term 2013 Hi Pam, I greet you all in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Memories We have come to the end of the first term in the year 2013, yet our minds are still filled with the memories of your visit. We still feel the warmth of your company and recall every moment that we share d. Above all we reflect on the visit to the family, the visit to the community, the Great Zimbabwe trip and the game drive. We cherish those moments of bonding and sharing life with the family. It is invaluable to the children as they feel to be part of a big and global family. Once again we appreciate your gesture and the sacrifice of your time to be with the family. SCHOOL REPORT Term Preparations The first term started on a high note as it was marked by change of grades as it was a new year. All our preparations went well as we worked hard to ensure that all the uniforms, stationery and many other requirements were in place. All the school fees were timeously paid for all the children attending different schools. All our children returned to school in the first term to mark a new year of learning. Only those who were waiting for the results stayed at home as examination results were due in the early month of February. The term was full of activity as the school calendar was characterized by athletics. Our children did take part in the various disciplines of athletics. Examination Results The results of the final examinations that we had been waiting for were finally released in February. The Advanced Level Results came first and then the Ordinary Level results. Our children did fairly well in the examinations that were written end of last year. George who was in Advanced Level and wanted to do Political Science failed to score the required 8 points so we decided to send him back to school to supplement for the other points. Irene who wrote Ordinary Level and wanted to train as a nurse failed to pass Mathematics and Science which are two of the required subjects. She is supplementing with the assistance of private teachers and she will be writing in June. Theresa who wants to be an air hostess failed to get the required subjects so she had to go back to school as well and she will be writing in June and November. This means the group that did not return to school on the onset of the term later joined the other children though going to different schools. School Term Overview This first term the children did not sit for end of term examinations. The teachers just averaged the weekly tests that the children were writing. This fully reflects the capability of the children. During the coming second term they will sit for the proper midyear examinations. Our children did very well especially those in primary school. We had minor encounter of sicknesses with Chiedza who was once affected by sore throat, Nicolette who was once affected by running stomach and weak joints, Arlene who had sore throat and fever, Pamela who had headache and fever and Irene who was complaining of headache and stomach pains. All were taken to hospital on different occasions and were treated and discharged. Although there were rains we thank the Almighty Father that our children were safe. We continued to encourage our children to put more effort in their studies so that they can get better grades in the future. We continue to offer our appreciation for the moral and financial support that you are extending to us as a family and meeting the needs of the young and innocent souls in our care. We have an intensive holiday revision plan for the children. We have two of our girls writing in June and two in Advanced Level who will be writing in November. The revision plan will take into account even those who are not writing as we enhance our efforts to improve the grades of our children. DEVELOPMENTS The Drainage Channel The major development this term was the construction of the drainage channel in Phase1 and Phase 2. There had been challenges with drainage on our property and water was running down towards the residential area after rainfall as you witnessed. To address the challenge we undertook to construct a drainage channel as per our discussion. All the materials including bricks, sand, stones and cement was acquired to see the construction go underway. We approached the channel in two phases. Phase 1 was the construction near the electric fence. Phase 2 was construction close to the residential area. Apart from serving the purpose of drainage, the structure also demarcates the residential area from the field and it serves as a barrier for animals straying into the field. Phases 1 and 2 have been successfully completed except for plastering that is needed to make the walls stronger and on the cards is Phase 3. Phase 3 requires more resources and careful planning as I once mentioned as it involves construction of a reservoir or a collection point. The work requires the hands of civil engineers and will be costly. In summary, the property is nolonger under threat from running water or overland flow since the two phases of the drainage channel were completed. ONGOING PROJECTS School Feeding Programme This term we continued in our efforts to support schools and the community through the feeding programme. We supplied all the three schools with a tone each of the nutritious Nutresco Mahewu. The response from the children has been very encouraging. In our interview with the children we noted a great level of satisfaction and appreciation of the product. Reports show that consumption has been very high and this has boosted the level activity in athletics. This is a major boost to our initiatives as we continue to note the nature and extent of the impact that our combined efforts are having on the young lives. The feeding programme has proved to an integral part of community support drivers. Children have immensely benefitted from the product as some go to school without having any meal and some walk long distances and by the time they get to school, they will be hungry. Pass it On Beasts and Goats The Pass it On programme continues to grow in leaps in leaps and bounds. The number of offsprings among the beneficiaries continues to increase at a tremendous rate. The goat’s offspring tops the chats given the short breeding cycle of goats and the abundant pastures that are there because of the rains. Families are continuing to reap benefits from the project and they are putting food on their tables and sending their children to school. We have some families who need animals as beneficiaries of the Pass it On. By this Easter holiday we may be able to give them the animals as part of our growing number of beneficiaries. Apart from the growth in offsprings we continue to face challenges with some members of the community who are selling the offsprings and remaining with nothing. This is contrary to our founding principles as we agreed that from time to time a member should be left with at least two offsprings are passing the first animal or selling to meet family needs. Some individuals continue to show selfish tendencies as they forgo long term benefits to satisfy their desires today. We attribute this mainly to negative influence by some members of the community and the low literacy levels. We remain resolute in our efforts to support and transform our community. Family Developments During the course of the term I received a call from the Social Services offices outside our district concerning a boy who was staying with a mentally challenged grandmother. I referred the matter to our district office. We eventually rescued the child and he is in our care for safe keeping. We are treating him as a member of the family as we await instructions from the Social Services offices who are trying to locate his relatives. We cannot send the child to school or make any plans until we get clearance to go ahead. We pray that the Almighty Father may intervene for the good of the child and his future. Charmaine’s Visit We continue to have Charmaine in our hearts and mind given her physical condition and the place that she is staying. Life in the remote rural areas without proper motherly care is a challenge. This term we visited our girl Charmaine to check on her and supply her with some basic needs and school requirements. The girl is stable, although she would be better off with us. We checked with the school authorities and they are satisfied with the current set up. We have not had any breakthrough or greenlight to have the baby in our care. We continue to believe that the Almighty Father will hear our prayers and answer them. Other Family Developments Our poultry project is going on very well. Currently or layers are in production. This means we have eggs to feed the children in the home and some they can take to school. Our goats continue to multiply and the kids are growing fast. We reflect on the hand of the Almighty Father. The Freezelands are nolonger producing milk because of the longer period. I want to believe that they are now encalf (pregnant). We have negotiated with the farm owner who sold us two of the Freezeland’s to sell us one more. He agreed but he said that he needs to check his herd first and he will give us feedback. CHALLENGES FOR THE TERM Beast incidences We had three incidences this term when our beasts would fall into wells and we had to rescue them. The heavy rains that we experienced came with unpleasant circumstances for us. The ground became very slippery and the wells that were dug a long time ago were covered with vegetation. These disused wells became traps for our animals. In a space of a few days we had to rescue three beasts which had fallen into the wells. With the assistance of the community we saved the animals. We eventually had to change the grazing area. ZESA (Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority) We had challenges with our power suppliers. The authorities have of been using estimate figure for consumption. Were being highly charged and the operation team from the company would come do disconnect power unilaterally. We hope that after visiting their offices, they will look into the matter. Electricity charges continue to be one the major costs that we are battling with. I hope and believe the Almighty Father shall continue blessing you for the job welldone, children are smiling all because of your hard work. Enjoy your Easter holiday. Stay blessed. VHF. Report on Women's Empowerment Project: Hi Pam, Greetings in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. How was the Easter holiday and the festivities that come with it? I hope you had a good time. We equally shared a good time as we had time off from our hectic schedules and had to spend quality time with the family and take part in church activities. It was a memorable holiday as we reflected on the life our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ. Well, it is very unfortunate that you missed the initial request for furthering the women empowerment. After gathering information through research in other communities, institutions and diverse organizations Alice have come up with another initiative that may help in addressing the plight of women in our community. Society views women as vulnerable members of the community who need total support as they bear many burdens that men can easily get away with or evade. In Shona there is a proverb which says; Pakafa amai vana dzave nherera asi panofa baba vana hadzisi nherera (this means that when a family loses a mother, the children become orphans but when a family loses the father the children are not orphans). This statement comes from the fact that a mother will never abandon her children nomatter the circumstances. Even if a woman remarries she will continue to care and look after her children from the previous marriage. This shows the depth that women can reach in taking care of their children whereas a father once remarried can easily neglect children from the previous marriage. Women cannot neglect their children and this attachment to their offspring makes them vulnerable as they go at length trying by all means to manage the welfare of their families. It is against this background that Alice have decided to pivot upon the women as pillars for community and family transformation. If we are to empower the children of the community and their families, it is wise to invest in the women of the community. On the foundation level we started with dolly making and this has proved to be a success as you sold some of the finished products. We have at this point in time decided to venture into sewing of garments and in this case school uniforms. We require three sewing machines to kick start the project and with the funds that you have already left we can mobilize the women and hire a qualified person to teach the women cutting and designing of garments. When the women have mastered the art of cutting and designing they can start sewing school uniforms for the surrounding schools. Initially the project will be launched as nonprofit making since it will be purely skill gaining and empowerment until the women can on their own or as a cluster of individuals in the community. At a certain point the project can become profit making and then the women will reap rewards from it. On the marketing and selling side we are proposing that we can make an arrangement with the schools so that they can get at least 5% of the sales to support their school needs, this way we will be assured of a ready market for the products. This means that the schools will be our agents and selling points for the uniforms. With time we may have to find other selling points that may be convenient with the customers. Uniforms have no seasonal demand as they are needed at any time given that some people can buy on holidays as they prepare for the opening of schools. There have been efforts of uplifting the community such as the poultry project and the goats’ which have played their part but the sewing one seems to be the climax of the initiatives. With the poultry project some beneficiaries would consume as relish the chickens that were meant to generate income. Such losses are eliminated when women take part in the empowerment projects like the sewing initiative that we have on the cards. Although the chickens were more profitable in the short run, the sewing project is profitable in the long run as is not affected by seasons just as the supply of chicks is limited in winter. Once successful the women may also move into the sewing of jerseys. On the other hand the cutting and designing skills will personally benefit the women as they can in their spare time be able to sew clothes for themselves and those of their children. Clothing is a basic need and if women can cut their costs by making some clothes by themselves and they will reduce expenditure on clothing and use the resources for other family needs or pressing issues from time to time. It is said give the child the hook and not the fish. As we labour in these efforts we are giving the women in our surrounding areas the hook so that at any time they can go fishing. We appreciate your support so far as we look forward to this new initiative. Please notice: For the above initiative we are not asking for more funds we want to utilize the funds you left first then we can see the results. Your prayers and comment are highly appreciated. George,Irene and Theresa are working flatout as they realizied their mistakes,I hope this time they are going to do their best. May the peace of the Almighty Father be with you and your families' Stay blessed VHF.

My Friend, There’s always a dream, out there, swirling around. Sometimes we fail to stop long enough, to focus on those dreams and give them names.

When we visit Zimbabwe each year, I envision so many wonderful things for the beautiful people we serve there. Always, hunger is our major issue, then education. But, getting to know resourceful spirits living in thatched huts, and mud houses, something always seemed to be missing. Something that in my own privileged life, was always at hand. Books.

Once a friend sent a book to Village Hope, filled with vibrant photos of

different spots around the world. I will never forget the look on one

young boy’s face, as he touched the pages as if they were magic. For a moment, the scenes became dim

ensional, and I could sense the pure wonder that the boy was experiencing.

Books.

So, when a friend contacted me just before Christmas saying,

“I have $10,000 to give. Can we start building a library at Village Hope?”

the dream took form and became real.

Paddington, I wrote, you aren’t going to believe this … If you want,

you can start building a library.” He answered with a photo of a

truckload of building blocks … and a plan.

He has designed a library building, that will also add a third grade classroom to our school. You can read the some of his plan below along with a stream of new dreams for what comes next.

Doesn’t it seem that, at Village Hope, one dream becomes two and then three and then … so, surely more good things are on the way …. we must never stop dreaming! Pam

Greetings to all,

As we strive to achieve maximum benefits from the library and internet lab at Village Hope, our vision spreads out to serve the community.

Community information centre- The facility will benefit all community members, especially children who attend Village Hope School and school elsewhere. They will be able to study and improve their school grades since most local schools are faced with challenges related to shortage of books and other reading materials. Our library will provide a wide range of reading material that appeals to the diverse information needs of our patrons. This is a far better community empowerment scheme as it enlightens the less-privileged.

Women empowerment - The Library/Internet facility will be our anchor point in launching a full scale educational drive aimed at all communal members. One such targeted group are women in our community who failed to attend school due to a number of reasons. As such, many are of below average education. If their education improves, they can be gainfully employed thereby securing their families’ future.

For the Elders- We will use the library and internet as part of our adult literacy scheme where adults from the community, who are interested in school work, will attend classes, learn to read books and surf the Internet just like in a normal school facility. Some have never seen a computer, held a book, or been inside a library and this experience will change their lives. As such, we hope to also hire some teachers to assist.

The new Library will make many lives better than ever before.

On behalf of the Village Hope family, the community, my wife and on my own behalf as I always say, I run out of words to thank you for your tireless efforts in transforming the lives of the under privileged. May the peace of our loving Father be with you always.

Pass my family love to all, Paddington

Paddington:

I greet you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

For a casual passerby, it would have looked more like a university graduation than a graduation ceremony for ECD pupils at Village Hope School. The 1st of December 2017 marked an important milestone in the life of Village Hope School as we celebrated our third graduation since we started operating in 2015. Let me find this opportunity to appraise you of the details regarding this memorable day.

As we had spent the whole year taking the children through the paces of their studies, it came a time when we needed to put aside the books and just create an atmosphere of celebration. So, in preparation for this day we bought a huge amount of food stuffs as we expected a huge guest turnout as our school has become well known.

As such, the graduation ceremony attracted guests from all over the community, the surrounding schools and even from Harare, who come to offer their solidarity with us. Our key students are orphaned and vulnerable children living alone, with sick or old relatives or live in families surviving below the poverty datum line. These are children with little likelihood to attend school given that education is now paid for in Zimbabwe. So, for the few who have the privilege to learn at our school because of the efforts of people such as yourselves, the graduation ceremony was the culmination of a very memorable experience. Many guests came to see for themselves that every child is a gift from God and they also wanted to get first hand proof that our experiment of putting together children from diverse backgrounds was working. When one visits the school, it is not easy to identify the differences among the children as they all look and behave the same, dress similarly and learn the same material. Most students are from the mud huts in the mountains surrounding Village Hope and are children who might not ever have hoped to attend school on a regular basis. But we also allow admission to a few well up children from outside our rural area, whose parents believe as we do, that children from vastly different backgrounds should learn to tolerate and relate with each other as they go through their education.

The event was also meant to provide a linkage between the school and the community wherein it operates. The community is like the water and the school is like the fish which cannot survive on its own.

The day was a true success as every one who would come was welcome. Students were awarded prizes for their work, teachers were praised and there was food and fellowship for all. The oldest group of pupils are now going into grade three and we anticipate that the competitive environment that was created in the ECD level will remain a Village Hope culture as you join with us to strive to create a new generation of children ready for a brighter future.

My Kind Regards to All, Paddington

Dear Village Hope Friends,

I greet you in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.

It has been a while without us communication. This is because I have been putting in place all things necessary for a successful second term. This is an update on all the things that I have covered as of today on a stage by stage basis.

School fees – all the fees for all the pupils at home and elsewhere have been paid in full.

School uniform- since pupils were using skirts, shorts and dresses during the last term, this term there has been a need to change to winter uniforms. This is because the weather has become chilly lately so the pupils now have blazers, trousers and long sleeved shirts. This is as per government requirement whereby every winter all pupils have to wear warm clothes to protect them from the harsh weather. This will help them concentrate better in their studies without worrying about the cold winds. We have also bought school bags and shoes for the children so that they do not feel out of place at school which might affect their concentration.

Stationery- we also bought extra stationery such as books. We want our children to have access to the best reading and writing material so that they are up to the standard required by government in all schools. It is our family standard to aim very high in all things we do such that it is up to the pupils to do their best and not end up blaming anyone for their failure. To be honest with you dear friends we are trying our level best as Village Hope to put our children first for their best interest.

Food stuffs- I am very pleased to advise that we have managed to buy all the food stuff for the term both for the school and for Village Hope. This is very critical as we always want to stock sufficiently for the term as it is hard to keep buying on a daily basis. Only perishables such as bread are acquired on a regular daily basis. Due to changes in the weather there is need to change the diet a bit to include warmer food stuffs such as tea and coffee.

Diet- this term we have improved our diet for our school. We have added more food stuffs than before as we aim to achieve better healthy for our children and encourage to come and concentrate. We have shifted from orange juice to milk which is more nutritious. In addition milk can be heated to add warmth to the children in this cold weather. Milk is also a high protein food stuff compared to orange juice which has high energy content. We have also added more eggs to the diet to build on protein which can be converted to fat. This helps keep the children warm once again. We have also slaughtered one of our beasts for relish for both home and school. This means that we have slaughtered two beasts for these two terms. This is because as our number keep growing consumption levels also rise.

School feeding program- if you can recall my words, if I come across a situation which is very pathetic sometimes I cannot be able to express my gratitude. So I always ask God, the Almighty to show thanks on my behalf. This year we experienced a severe drought in most parts of Zimbabwe due to erratic rains. We received good rains at the start of the summer season but the rains vanished when crops were tasseling. This means that not all families will have sufficient food till the next cropping seasons. There is therefore a need to provide food relief. This is comparable to a situation we faced in 2008 when some people had to depend on wild fruits for survival. Village Hope rescued a number of families who were starving due to drought. Basing on that experience I find myself out of words to say thank you for the help towards feeding the community. This term we managed to deliver tonnes of maheu drink to numerous schools. Ever since we introduced maheu in different schools the enrolment has increased and the average performance also rose. For example a child whom we supported from Village Hope was a boy living with a grandmother who benefitted from the “Pass It On” project. We enrolled the young boy to study at a nearby school and he did wonders by passing with 2As, 4Bs and 1C in his ordinary level examinations. This is the highest record ever recorded by a community school. This boy did not have a birth certificate, national identity card or uniform for school and Village Hope assisted him to acquire all these. This is a good demonstration of the performance of children who reside in a caring community where they get all the requirements for good growth such as food and clothing all because of your caring love. This term the school feeding program will be even more important as children will get more of their food at school compared to home. This is because in most homes there is nothing due to poor harvests. Things are not very bad in the first part of the dry season but as stocks run low in most homes the situation will become critical.

Community feeding program- as I mentioned earlier that the numbers are falling due to what I feel like political tension, this year there were a number of changes of a political nature. The ruling party changed a number of their constituency leaders and the Vice President. There is therefore a need to conduct elections to fill in the gap left and so we are faced with elections once again on June 10, 2015. This means that it is hard to organise large gatherings because this may be mistaken for political activity. We are however continuing with the project but we hope that with time our number will grow once again.

The Village Hope School- this term we have enrolled six new pupils for the ECD class. On the other hand four children dropped due to different reasons. Two of them dropped on medical grounds and one moved with the parents when they shifted from the community and the other one just dropped back but the parents said she will resume next term. My dear friends it is a blessing to have these children at Village Hope as our children in Christ. They are ours because God gave them to us to look after as they were made in His image. As I mentioned earlier that the school will be our foundation for more future projects for sure it’s a new generation ready for a bright future. The school will cater for generations to come and this project is now beyond our imagination as it will cater for people whom we have not even met. So far the school has been able to mix pupils from very different backgrounds into one class of happy children. Some are very poor indeed, while other are better off and yet others come from very well off backgrounds. This mixture helps the children relate well with each other and learn each other’s cultures and backgrounds. This will help them understand each other better than before. We have been able to change the uniform to winter wear which includes trousers and long sleeved shirts. These are our own designs but they are in line with government requirements. At times you cannot even imagine that some of these designs are coming from me. To be honest I have done my level best in order to make our school look even much better. Some words of advice- at first we gave out a free uniform but we had to sell in order to acquire new fabric. This is not a profit making venture but an attempt to ensure that all our children are uniformed so that there is no noticeable difference between them. We are going to discuss this when you visit so that we can easily map the way forward.

School furniture- we also bought four chairs and four tables for the teachers and cupboards for the storage of learning material. In addition to this we are going to fit four fire extinguishers into each of the classrooms. There will also be four buckets full of sand in case of fire danger. We also hope to install hand rails on classroom walls for easy grip by the pupils. Our corridors are not level and the children need to have protection.

Here we are all doing well.

Stay blessed in Jesus in name.

Paddington.

VILLAGE HOPE FAMILY 2013 ANNUAL REPORT

I greet you all in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We thank the Almighty Father that He has been faithful in guiding us to this day. Just as Samuel did on that day we can say that, thus far the Lord has helped us. We express our heartfelt appreciation to your continued support and unwavering commitment to see Village Hope stand and shine in the community and to the entire nation. We take this time to walk you through all that we have managed to cover during the entire year. We had mile stone achievements and we are pleased to report on the great exploits that we had.

FIRST TERM 2013

The year started on a good note as it was punctuated by your visit to the family and the family trip to Great Zimbabwe. Up to this day we appreciate the gesture and the time that we shared.

School Developments

We managed to send all our children back to school for a new year. Some were going into new grades and some going into their final years at high school. We paid all the fees, bought the uniforms and stationery for all the children. Some of the children who wrote their examinations last year were awaiting their results which finally came in February. Irene, Theresa and George went back to school inorder to supplement their subjects.

At the end of the term, the children in primary school did fairly well and there were signs of hard work with the children in secondary school. The term started and ended on a good note with no major challenges.

When the April holiday came we were keen on promoting a culture of study in our children. We had to make our children attend extra lessons and we monitored their studies as we sought to improve the pass rate in the family.

Developments in the Home

We started work on the drainage system as we had scheduled. We mobilized for all the material that was needed to erect the drainage system. Our aim was to ensure that the property is not destroyed by running water and we managed to finish the first phase of the project. In the end the demarcation for the drainage system helped us as it is now acting as a barrier to animals since they can no longer stray into our fields.

We earmarked the renovations of ceilings as the second project that we had to undertake after the drainage system phase 1 that we have successfully accomplished.

We faced a challenge with our electricity supplier as they decided to unilaterally switch us off despite the payment we had made. We had to rush and make another payment. Electricity continues to one of the expensive items on our budget.

We had incidences where our beasts fell into water filled pits as it was during the rainy season. This made us to avoid certain grazing areas during the term.

Forget

The Social Welfare during this term called us regarding the case of Forget who is now part of the family. The boy came from a tormenting background and we thank the Almighty Father that he is now in a safe place where he can access food, shelter, clothing and education. We appreciate your support relating to the matter of Forget (who is now called David).

Community Developments

Pass it On

The Pass it On program continued to roll to life in the first term of 2013. Beneficiaries continued to reap benefits from the project and some beasts and goats gave birth to more offspring. We had a setback when one of the beneficiaries decided to sell a beast without our knowledge. Such incidents threaten the long term objective of the project.

School feeding Program

We managed to timorously roll the school feeding program in the first term. Notwithstanding the challenges that our supplier was facing the product was delivered. The children expressed their appreciation of the noble gesture. Since it was an athletics term, the consignment went a long way in helping the plight of the children.

SECOND TERM 2013

School Developments

The term started on a positive note since preparations were thoroughly done. We had our children attending seven different schools. We thank God that we managed to transport our children to school daily. Two of our children wrote supplementary subjects in the June 2013 examinations. We thank the Lord Almighty Father for granting them health and safety as they prepared and finally wrote the examinations.

The term ended early as it paved way for the harmonized elections that were to be held on July 31. There were no challenges at school as our children behave well and faired very well at the end of the term.

Home Developments

Ceiling Renovations

Our major focus was to renovate the ceilings of the second house. We managed to do that very impressively. We fitted the Rhino board ceiling which are fireproof and that is a welcome development to the safety of the family.

Drainage Channel phase 2

We extended the wall of the drainage channel in phase 2 of the project to become a durawall. This means that security on the property had been enhanced and on the same note our animals cannot stray into our maize field.

The new Van

We had been praying and praying that we get a van that can be able to send children to school and do other business without major challenges. Our prayers were answered. The old van had started giving us challenges and was nolonger reliable. I managed to have a successful trip to South Africa to buy the van. The Almighty Father guided us and we managed to buy a good van. We bought a Nissan Caravan long base. We maintained the silver colour and we managed to register the car for use and it is now fully operational.

Someone bought the old van for $5000.00. It was all joy as we bought the new van and managed to sell the old van that was now giving us challenges.

Family Projects

The number of our goats continues to multiply and we bless the Almighty Father. We lost a Freezeland during the term and that was setback to our objective of crossbreeding our animals. We are happy that our poultry project is growing in strides and we are teaching our children how to look after the animals and the birds. The feeding for the Freezelands continued to be a challenge but we appreciate your support as we seek to boost our family herd.

Outside Projects Development

Mbuya Nehanda Orphanage

We managed to launch the poultry project at the orphanage centre and we are pleased with the progress and cooperation that we got from the centre. We were pleased by the issue of continuity in the project that they have mastered as they went from the second batch to the third batch. Although they have not maintained the number at 1000 because they use the proceeds to meet some need of the institution, we are very pleased that they have managed keep the project rolling.

School Furniture

We managed to buy school furniture for a nearby school which was facing challenges with their old and breaking down furniture. The chairs that we bought went a long way in helping the school.

Feeding Program

We continued with our school feeding program by supplying the highly nutritious drink of Nutresco Mahewu. The children continue to enjoy the drink and the feedback from the children regarding the drink was very encouraging.

Schools Poultry Project

It is pleasing to note that the project continued to have life although there were different stages of development. One of the schools managed to buy the second batch of chickens as they uphold the concept of continuity that we laid as the foundation of the project. The other schools have not yet managed to buy the second batch. It remains our drive to see that children are empowered with practical skills such as poultry so that they can be able to support the initiatives in the community and in the long term is able to start their projects.

Community Poultry Project

There was a very huge development of the project and particularly by the achievement that was been registered by one of the families. Two of the families taking part in the project were now on the 6th batch. That is a record achievement in the project in the history of the project. That was milestone and a testimony that will be cherished by other members of the community. The other beneficiaries learnt the art of consistency and steadfastness as they engage in their activities.

Pass it On

The highest achiever had 15 goats and the second family had 12 goats. The interesting part of it is that the families have been selling some of the goats in order to meet the school fees of their children and in some cases for groceries and other pressing family needs. Pass it On is bearing fruits and the results continued to be evident in the community. The objective that the people of the community should embrace the objective of sustainable development was being realized. The worst case scenario was that of families that received goats, a beast and chickens but today they cannot account for any of the things that they received. This was a setback to our thrust for community development.

Social Welfare Officers Visit

During the course of the term we had visits from officers who are part of the Social Services department. We shared with them our experience and help each other to look into issues that need their expertise and consultation. Their visits ensured that we are in line with their expectations and doing the best for the children.

Women Empowerment

Our women empowerment project continued to grow in leaps and bounds. We appreciate the support that we are getting from you. We bought 10 new sewing machines for the project. This allowed the women to be able to move into the area of making school uniforms that they can sell to the nearby schools. In the short term they were able to learn and acquire the skills for cutting and designing but in the long term they will be able reap from the project and support their families. Empowering the women is empowering the community given that it is the women in most families who are the breadwinners and women never forsake their families. The new machines took the empowerment drive to a new level and the lives of the women will never be same and their families.

General Term Challenges

There were not many challenges in the second term. The van breakdowns were one of the challenges and that was addressed. The other challenge was that of the illness of one of the family members. When one of the family members is not well it disturbs the whole family. We were shaken but we continued to ask the Almighty to intervene.

The other challenge was the behavior of the new member of the family whom we had to integrate into the family. We faced some challenges as he could not practice good hygiene and in some cases he would come from school late.

THIRD TERM 2013

School Developments

Schools opened early to compensate for the time that was lost as they closed early paving way for elections.

School fees for all the children were timeously paid before the opening of the schools. We bought uniforms for all the children who had outstanding items that needed to be bought. As our policy we do not buy school uniforms every term for all the children but we consider those that have needs as the term begins. We bought stationery for all the children to meet the school requirements for the third term and extras for their study at home. All school needs were met and the children are attended school daily.

SCHOOL REPORT

It is unbelievable that David came first and highest in all the subjects that he sat for and he did not get less than 90% in all the subjects. This clearly shows the hand of the Almighty Father in the life of David and looking at his background it is an impressive performance. Indeed the face of the Almighty Father is shining upon his life. This will serve as an encouragement to the other children that nothing can stand in the way of a person if they put all their effort.

In the same light of pleasing performance was Arlene who did very well at preschool. She will going to continue into next level the coming year. She has managed to defeat her background and she is working hard. It is pleasing to see her determination at such a tender age.

Number 2 was Lindiwe who is in Grade 6. She is producing excellent performance and if she maintains her performance she will get very good grades in Grade 7. That will boost her chances of getting placement at a better school after she finishes her Grade 7. We continue to encourage her to keep working hard despite the good results.

On number 3 is Shorai. Although her performance is good she has not been able to consistently deliver the best grades that she obtained in the previous terms. We are doing all to make sure that she keeps the momentum as she goes into Grade 6 next year.

Number 4 is Nicolletta who is in Grade 5. She continues to do well although her performance is average. We are finding ways to move her from being a mediocre student and aim higher.

Winnie and Pamela have not been producing satisfactory results. Their performance has been below average and we are looking at ways of improving their results. They are struggling with their school work and we feel we have to seek assistance so that they can be moved to a safe place. We always remind them of the importance of school in this age and encourage them to put more effort.

Lovemore’s academic performance is also worrying. He failed all his subjects and the teachers indicated on his report that he is rude and stubborn in class. This is a worrisome development for the family. We do all we can to send the children to school and teach them at home to behave well but he is not representing the family well. We are closely monitoring him so that he can improve his performance and behaviour.

John sat for his Grade 7 examinations and he produced average results. He got 20 units and he will be going to Form 1 next year. He needs to pull up his socks if he is going to produce good results in secondary education.

Moreblessing got above average results in her end of year examinations. We continue to encourage her as she goes into Form 3 which forms the foundation of Ordinary level education. She shows potential to do better if motivated.

Edgar also produced above average results and it seems he is now realizing the importance of education after failing to produce passes in his first attempt at a boarding school. If he remains focused he can produce excellent results.

The third term had three of our children writing their examinations in November. George and Tapiwa wrote their Advanced Level examinations while Theresa wrote her Ordinary level examinations. The results will be known end of January or early February 2014 and if they do well the boys will proceed to university and Theresa will go into Advanced Level.

Irene’s progress

We are happy that Irene passed her June examinations and she now has all the subjects that she needs to proceed to the next level and train as a teacher. This third term we were busy going about Teacher’s Colleges where she was attending interviews. The interviews will determine whether she will be accepted or not. We are praying that the Almighty Father may open doors for her.

Home Developments

Charmaine’s Visit

As usual we took time to visit Charmaine and her grandparents in the rural areas. This was a journey of discovery as we learnt that Lovemore, David and Pamela come from the same area as Charmaine. We continue to monitor the welfare of Charmaine and support her in all ways possible as she is in the custody of her relatives. We are happy that she is looking healthy and settled with the new grandmother that her grandfather married.

Electricity

We continued to face challenges with our supplier of electricity. They changed the meter to a prepaid meter and they insisted on charging us commercial rate because of the grinding meal. We had challenges to register the new meter and the outstanding amount on the electricity bill. We arranged that we will be paying them in installments. The prepaid billing system has proved to be a little bit cheaper as compared to the estimated billing system they were using to charge us. This November we used an average of $300 which was not possible in the past as they were charging us an average of $600 per month.

From Forget to David

After deliberations with you and the family we managed to change Forget’s name to David. This will give him a new lease of life and impact positively on his life. The other children are now comfortable with the name and we are hopeful the boy is on a path to transformation.

Drainage system enhancement

We have embarked on another phase of the drainage system. We realized that the rains falling on the premises are washing away the soil and are a threat to the rock boundaries that were erected. We are now reinforcing the rock boundaries and dealing with the new challenge of draining that we discovered after the previous phases.

Family Projects

Our family poultry project continues to roar into life. We thank the Almighty Father that the number of beasts and goats continue to multiply. Despite the challenges that we faced with our beasts in the past two terms we are happy with the state of our animals.

Outside Home Developments

School Feeding Program

We once again managed to successfully launch the feeding program for the three schools that we had been consistently supplying with the nutritious Nutresco Mahewu. We have delivered the product to all the schools. We are encouraged by the response that the children continue to give regarding the supply of the product for their consumption. This third term was summer and the temperatures were relatively high and the demand for the drink by the school children was high. We reiterated the need for the school authorities to continually update us regarding the progress of the feeding program. One of the schools has indicated that they are facing water challenges.

4th school Identification

We undertook to research on satellite school and identify a 4th school that we can consider for the school feeding program. After visiting four schools during the research we chose one school which is near the orphanage and the school has 712 pupils. According to the research we carried out we identified that the school will need assistance just like the ones we are already assisting.

Pass It On

The project continues to be a success as beneficiaries are getting more offspring s. Many families are now benefiting from selling the goats and they can afford to put food on the table this coming festive season. We are pleased with the feedback we are receiving from the beneficiaries relating to the assistance that the goats and the beasts have given them. We will update our databases soon about the offsprings.

Women Empowerment

The third term marks the end of the year of Empowerment. It was indeed a year of Empowerment for the women as they benefited a lot this year. This year alone they acquired cutting and designing skills and they were empowered with state of the art new sewing machines as a group. This is indeed empowerment on its highest level. The lives of the women will never be that of idle people or gossipers but they are now productive women and community builders.

Community Feeding Program

The whole of 2013 we continued with our community feeding program initiative. Not all family members despite the interventions we have done can put food on their tables throughout the year.

Every Sunday after our church service we gather as a family and the community and share food together. We also give milk to children from the community as part of the community feeding initiative. This promotes not only a healthy community or the spirit of sharing but it builds and cements harmony in the community.

Through the initiative we are promoting unity and one-ness among community members who used to be marked by religious and social differences. The same platform also serves as a time of interaction on the word of God and the progress on the various community initiatives. As we build relationships among the community members we are also promoting a healthy relationship with them so that we can realize our objective of transforming the community into a company of productive and empowered individuals.

We once again appreciate your support in this cause of transforming the image of the community. The Lord will surely bless you in due time.

CONCLUSION

The Almighty Father has been faithful and we are witnesses of His hand in 2013. We had elections in 2013 but the Almighty Father protected us from the dangers that are associated with African elections. He gave health to the family and we went about our duties and the children attended school and wrote their examinations.

More news to come.................................

Pass my family love to all.

Stay blessed

VHF.

I greet you all in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The moment that all the children have been waiting for has finally arrived. The schools closed today the 26th of July 2013. The schools have closed a week earlier according to the scheduled school calendar inorder to pave way for the impending harmonized elections in the country that will be held on the 31st of July this month. In the same manner the schools are set to be opened a week earlier to allow the children to compensate for the one week lost this past term.

As our tradition and to uphold consistency we take our time at the end of every term to carefully account and track all the things that would have happened during the term. Our review of the term will focus on the following key areas:

A. The Environment of the Village Hope family

B. Food

C. Clothing

D. Stationery

E. Health

F. Transport

G. Schools Attended

H. Children’s Academic Performance

I. Home Development

J. Outside Projects Development

K. Other Term Achievements

L. General Term Challenges

The Environment of the family

On this part we scan and assess the general environment of the family and conclude as to whether it was conducive for the social, physical and academic welfare of the family. We look at whether the home was conducive for habitation, study and development. We are pleased to say that the atmosphere in the home was very conducive and peaceful. Children could study, take their meals and engage in all activities in a peaceful, harmonious and tranquil environment. There was no disruption to the studies of the children since we would use the generator if there were power cuts related to load shedding.

In the home we also took our time to give spiritual and moral guidance to the children. On this note we devote our time to sit together as a family and engage in bible study. This is meant to produce children who are spiritually and morally balanced for interaction with the society. We also allow children to take part in the activities in the home such as rearing of animals and the poultry project. This is meant to equip them with life skills that will sustain them outside the environment of the home as they will not spend the rest of their lives under our care.

Food

There was adequate supply of food for the family during this second term of the year 2013. The Village Hope family culture allows every child to be served individually and we have maintained our concept of serving as buffet. Although the rate of consumption goes up in winter as the body would want to generate more heat we were able to meet the demand for foodstuffs and this one of the major factors that provides a conducive environment in the family.

Clothing and Uniforms

This past term was in the winter season. We ensured that all our children had adequate and warm clothing so that they would not easily catch colds or fever. We continued to buy and to look at the individual needs for uniforms for every child. It is our baseline as the Village Hope Family to ensure that all the children have proper school uniforms. This helps in portraying the image of the family and making the children to feel confident at school. We do not want our children to feel inferior by their dressing in the company of other children.

Stationery

We ensured that all our children had enough stationery to meet the school requirements and at the same time to cover for their supplementary studying at home. It remains our objective to have our children improve their grades and get better results in their final examinations. Adequate stationery is a tool to providing good education for our children who are the future of the world.

Health

Most of the children in the family were healthy for the entire term apart from infrequent headaches, flue and colds that can be associated with the winter season. This term we only had one child who fell terribly ill during the course of the term. Nicoleta had inflamated joints and was feeling weak and dizzy. We took her to hospital and they requested that tests be done on the child. When the tests were done they came out all negative. On the other hand the medication that she was given during the time that the tests were being done miraculously worked and the child got better. This was not the first time that the child had this kind of illness but this once happened in 2010 and only to resurface again in 2013. The nature of the illness has not been ascertained but some doctors had suggested that it could be chronic juvenile arthritis. The suggestion was proved wrong through the tests that were done. We are hopeful that the diagnosis will be made and the child will be cure. We continue to pray to the Almighty Father to guide the family and protect it from the outbreak of diseases that are spreading in the country and the whole world.

Transport

I am pleased to report that we managed to transport all the children from home to school daily. In turn we would transport them home again in the late afternoon. We experienced some breakdowns associated with the van but the problem was rectified. Our children were always punctual at school and that is the best way for them to start the day and we are putting that seed of punctuality in their lives.

Schools Attended

Our children who are the Village Hope family members learn at seven different schools. The children are attending the best schools in the country. This is in line with our mandate to make sure that we produce children who have better grades and who can be competitive on the job market. All our children go to mixed group A schools and some to multiracial schools. This is meant to ensure that they master the art of coexistence with others and develop with a global mind.

Children’s Academic Performance

Our primary school children continue to do well in their studies and we are pleased with their performance. We started with them from preschool and they are producing good results which reflect the input that that they are receiving from the family. We also have one child in preschool. She is doing very well and we are happy that she will be going to grade 1 next year. She continues to impress us and make us see the hand of God as she came from a very terrible background.

We also commend the effort being put by the children in secondary school in their studies. We have two girls who wrote final examinations in June as they were supplementing inorder to make sure that they get enough passes to proceed to Advanced Level. The girls are awaiting their results which are likely to come in September. We have two boys who will be sitting for their Advanced Level this coming third term. One of them will be repeating but the other one will be attempting for the first time. This stage will determine whether they will be able to go university if they score highly or the will go colleges for courses. We are praying that the Almighty Father may bless the children with wisdom and knowledge.

Home Development

I am really pleased to report on this part as we managed to do all that we had planned to do within the scope of this term. Our major focus was to renovate the ceilings of the second house. We managed to that very impressively. We fitted the Rhino board ceiling which are fireproof and that is a welcome development to the safety of the family.

The water channel has since been finished and its completion was a major development as it led us to another development. We extended the wall of the channel to become a durawall. This means that security on the property had been enhanced and on the same note our animals cannot stray into our maize field.

Outside Projects Development

Mbuya Nehanda Orphanage

We managed to launch the poultry project at the orphanage centre and we are pleased with the progress and cooperation that we got from the centre. They are now in their second batch of the chicken and the manager has since advised us that they are going into the third batch soon. We are pleased by the issue of continuity that they have mastered. Although they have not maintained the number at 1000 because they use the proceeds to meet some need of the institution, we are very pleased that they have managed keep the project rolling.

School Furniture

We managed to buy school furniture for a nearby school which was facing challenges with their old and breaking down furniture. The chairs that we bought will go a long way in helping school.

Feeding Programme

We continued with our school feeding programme by supplying the highly nutritious drink of Nutresco Mahewu. The children continue to enjoy the drink and the feedback from the children regarding the drink is very encouraging. We are expecting reports from the schools about the feeding project as we plan for the term which will be hot.

Schools Poultry Project

It is pleasing to note that the project continues to have life although there are different stages of development. One of the schools has managed to buy the second batch of chickens as they uphold the concept of continuity that we laid as the foundation of the project. The other schools have not yet managed to buy the second batch. It remains our drive to see that children are empowered with practical skills such as poultry so that they can be able to support the initiatives in the community and in the long term is able to start their projects.

Community Poultry Project

We are happy with the development of the project and particularly by the achievement that has been registered by one of the families. Two of the families taking part in the project are now on the 6th batch. This is a record achievement in the project in the history of the project. This is a milestone and a testimony that will be cherished by other members of the community. The other beneficiaries will learn the art of consistency and steadfastness as they engage in their activities.

Pass it On

At this point I want to mention one of the successful families. This family passed the first beast to the next family and they remained with one beast. As I report the beast gave birth to a bull calf last year and now the beast is now encalf and they will be getting another beast any time from now. The other family now has two beasts after passing the first beast to the next family. The calf is still sucking milk and this is all positive development in line with the project. This is a clear touch of the hand of the Almighty Father.

Regarding the goats, the highest achiever now has 15 goats and the other family has 12 goats. The interesting part of it is that the families have been selling some of the goats inorder to meet the school fees of their children and in some cases for groceries and other pressing family needs. Pass it On is now bearing fruits and the results are now evident in the community. This has been our objective that the people of the community should embrace the objective of sustainable development. The worst case scenario is that of families that received goats, a beast and chickens but today they cannot account for any of the things that they received. This is a set back to our thrust for community development.

Social Welfare Officers Visit

During the course of the term we had visits from officers who are part of the Social Services department. We share with them our experience and help each other to look into issues that need their expertise and consultation. Their visits ensure that we are in line with their expectations and doing the best for the children.

Other Community Achievements

Sunday school

This term we managed to send two of our boys and one community member for Sunday School training. We are pleased that we have now a functional Sunday school in the home and that caters for the community. We are pleased that our boys bare now responsible and the family will be well grounded by the new development.

The new Van

I have been praying and praying that we get a van that can be able to send children to school and do other business without major challenges. As I advised you earlier on that I will be going to the South African border to buy a van, I managed to have a successful trip. The Almighty Father guided us and we managed to buy a good van. We bought a Nissan Caravan long base. We maintained the silver color and the van was being used as a panel van in Japan. It has one row of seats at the back and we need to put two more rows so that all our children can fit. We are still working on the registration of the car and putting new seats. From there I will be able to tell the total cost of the van and the whole process.

Still on the good news I am pleased to advise you that the old van was bought. Someone bought it for $5000.00. He transferred the amount into our account as proof of payment and a proof of receipt inorder to declare to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.

Forget

We thank God for another family that was added to the Village Hope family. Forget became a new member of the family and we are pleased that he is finding his way as we guide him into the culture of the Village Hope family. Given his background we have had some challenges with him associating with the other family members and issues relating to school. We are praying to the Almighty Father that he may be transformed and fit into the family. We managed to send him to a nearby school and we are happy that he is back at school and we are continually monitoring him.

Women Empowerment

Our women empowerment project continues to grow in leaps and bounds. We appreciate the support that we are getting from you. We recently bought 10 new sewing machines for the project. This will allow the women to be able to move into the area of making school uniforms that they can sell to the nearby schools. In the short term they will be able to learn and acquire the skills for cutting and designing but in the long term they will be able reap from the project and support their families. Empowering the women is empowering the community given that it is the women in most families who are the breadwinners and women never forsake their families. The new machines take the empowerment drive to a new level and the lives of the women will never be same and their families.

General Term Challenges

There were not many challenges this term that we may need to highlight. The van breakdowns were one of the challenges but that has since been addressed. The other challenge was that of the illness of one of the family members. When one of the family members is not well it disturbs the whole family. We were shaken but we continue to ask the Almighty to intervene.

The other challenge was the behaviour of the new member of the family whom we had to integrate into the family. We faced some challenges as he could not practice good hygiene and in some cases he would come from school late.

I attached a number of photos for all the development that we have made which I thought could explain much better than words. Please confirm you saw them.

First Term 2013

Hi Pam,

I greet you all in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Memories

We have come to the end of the first term in the year 2013, yet our minds are still filled with the memories of your visit. We still feel the warmth of your company and recall every moment that we share

d. Above all we reflect on the visit to the family, the visit to the community, the Great Zimbabwe trip and the game drive. We cherish those moments of bonding and sharing life with the family. It is invaluable to the children as they feel to be part of a big and global family. Once again we appreciate your gesture and the sacrifice of your time to be with the family.

SCHOOL REPORT

Term Preparations

The first term started on a high note as it was marked by change of grades as it was a new year. All our preparations went well as we worked hard to ensure that all the uniforms, stationery and many other requirements were in place. All the school fees were timeously paid for all the children attending different schools. All our children returned to school in the first term to mark a new year of learning. Only those who were waiting for the results stayed at home as examination results were due in the early month of February. The term was full of activity as the school calendar was characterized by athletics. Our children did take part in the various disciplines of athletics.

Examination Results

The results of the final examinations that we had been waiting for were finally released in February. The Advanced Level Results came first and then the Ordinary Level results. Our children did fairly well in the examinations that were written end of last year. George who was in Advanced Level and wanted to do Political Science failed to score the required 8 points so we decided to send him back to school to supplement for the other points. Irene who wrote Ordinary Level and wanted to train as a nurse failed to pass Mathematics and Science which are two of the required subjects. She is supplementing with the assistance of private teachers and she will be writing in June. Theresa who wants to be an air hostess failed to get the required subjects so she had to go back to school as well and she will be writing in June and November. This means the group that did not return to school on the onset of the term later joined the other children though going to different schools.

School Term Overview

This first term the children did not sit for end of term examinations. The teachers just averaged the weekly tests that the children were writing. This fully reflects the capability of the children. During the coming second term they will sit for the proper midyear examinations. Our children did very well especially those in primary school.

We had minor encounter of sicknesses with Chiedza who was once affected by sore throat, Nicolette who was once affected by running stomach and weak joints, Arlene who had sore throat and fever, Pamela who had headache and fever and Irene who was complaining of headache and stomach pains. All were taken to hospital on different occasions and were treated and discharged.

Although there were rains we thank the Almighty Father that our children were safe. We continued to encourage our children to put more effort in their studies so that they can get better grades in the future. We continue to offer our appreciation for the moral and financial support that you are extending to us as a family and meeting the needs of the young and innocent souls in our care.

We have an intensive holiday revision plan for the children. We have two of our girls writing in June and two in Advanced Level who will be writing in November. The revision plan will take into account even those who are not writing as we enhance our efforts to improve the grades of our children.

DEVELOPMENTS

The Drainage Channel

The major development this term was the construction of the drainage channel in Phase1 and Phase 2. There had been challenges with drainage on our property and water was running down towards the residential area after rainfall as you witnessed. To address the challenge we undertook to construct a drainage channel as per our discussion. All the materials including bricks, sand, stones and cement was acquired to see the construction go underway. We approached the channel in two phases. Phase 1 was the construction near the electric fence. Phase 2 was construction close to the residential area. Apart from serving the purpose of drainage, the structure also demarcates the residential area from the field and it serves as a barrier for animals straying into the field. Phases 1 and 2 have been successfully completed except for plastering that is needed to make the walls stronger and on the cards is Phase 3. Phase 3 requires more resources and careful planning as I once mentioned as it involves construction of a reservoir or a collection point. The work requires the hands of civil engineers and will be costly. In summary, the property is nolonger under threat from running water or overland flow since the two phases of the drainage channel were completed.

ONGOING PROJECTS

School Feeding Programme

This term we continued in our efforts to support schools and the community through the feeding programme. We supplied all the three schools with a tone each of the nutritious Nutresco Mahewu. The response from the children has been very encouraging. In our interview with the children we noted a great level of satisfaction and appreciation of the product. Reports show that consumption has been very high and this has boosted the level activity in athletics. This is a major boost to our initiatives as we continue to note the nature and extent of the impact that our combined efforts are having on the young lives. The feeding programme has proved to an integral part of community support drivers. Children have immensely benefitted from the product as some go to school without having any meal and some walk long distances and by the time they get to school, they will be hungry.

Pass it On

Beasts and Goats

The Pass it On programme continues to grow in leaps in leaps and bounds. The number of offsprings among the beneficiaries continues to increase at a tremendous rate. The goat’s offspring tops the chats given the short breeding cycle of goats and the abundant pastures that are there because of the rains. Families are continuing to reap benefits from the project and they are putting food on their tables and sending their children to school.

We have some families who need animals as beneficiaries of the Pass it On. By this Easter holiday we may be able to give them the animals as part of our growing number of beneficiaries.

Apart from the growth in offsprings we continue to face challenges with some members of the community who are selling the offsprings and remaining with nothing. This is contrary to our founding principles as we agreed that from time to time a member should be left with at least two offsprings are passing the first animal or selling to meet family needs. Some individuals continue to show selfish tendencies as they forgo long term benefits to satisfy their desires today. We attribute this mainly to negative influence by some members of the community and the low literacy levels. We remain resolute in our efforts to support and transform our community.

Family Developments

During the course of the term I received a call from the Social Services offices outside our district concerning a boy who was staying with a mentally challenged grandmother. I referred the matter to our district office. We eventually rescued the child and he is in our care for safe keeping. We are treating him as a member of the family as we await instructions from the Social Services offices who are trying to locate his relatives. We cannot send the child to school or make any plans until we get clearance to go ahead. We pray that the Almighty Father may intervene for the good of the child and his future.

Charmaine’s Visit

We continue to have Charmaine in our hearts and mind given her physical condition and the place that she is staying. Life in the remote rural areas without proper motherly care is a challenge. This term we visited our girl Charmaine to check on her and supply her with some basic needs and school requirements. The girl is stable, although she would be better off with us. We checked with the school authorities and they are satisfied with the current set up. We have not had any breakthrough or greenlight to have the baby in our care. We continue to believe that the Almighty Father will hear our prayers and answer them.

Other Family Developments

Our poultry project is going on very well. Currently or layers are in production. This means we have eggs to feed the children in the home and some they can take to school. Our goats continue to multiply and the kids are growing fast. We reflect on the hand of the Almighty Father.

The Freezelands are nolonger producing milk because of the longer period. I want to believe that they are now encalf (pregnant). We have negotiated with the farm owner who sold us two of the Freezeland’s to sell us one more. He agreed but he said that he needs to check his herd first and he will give us feedback.

CHALLENGES FOR THE TERM

Beast incidences

We had three incidences this term when our beasts would fall into wells and we had to rescue them. The heavy rains that we experienced came with unpleasant circumstances for us. The ground became very slippery and the wells that were dug a long time ago were covered with vegetation. These disused wells became traps for our animals. In a space of a few days we had to rescue three beasts which had fallen into the wells. With the assistance of the community we saved the animals. We eventually had to change the grazing area.

ZESA (Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority)

We had challenges with our power suppliers. The authorities have of been using estimate figure for consumption. Were being highly charged and the operation team from the company would come do disconnect power unilaterally. We hope that after visiting their offices, they will look into the matter. Electricity charges continue to be one the major costs that we are battling with.

I hope and believe the Almighty Father shall continue blessing you for the job welldone, children are smiling all because of your hard work. Enjoy your Easter holiday.

Stay blessed.

VHF.

Report on Women's Empowerment Project:

Hi Pam,

Greetings in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

How was the Easter holiday and the festivities that come with it? I hope you had a good time. We equally shared a good time as we had time off from our hectic schedules and had to spend quality time with the family and take part in church activities. It was a memorable holiday as we reflected on the life our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Well, it is very unfortunate that you missed the initial request for furthering the women empowerment. After gathering information through research in other communities, institutions and diverse organizations Alice have come up with another initiative that may help in addressing the plight of women in our community.

Society views women as vulnerable members of the community who need total support as they bear many burdens that men can easily get away with or evade. In Shona there is a proverb which says; Pakafa amai vana dzave nherera asi panofa baba vana hadzisi nherera (this means that when a family loses a mother, the children become orphans but when a family loses the father the children are not orphans). This statement comes from the fact that a mother will never abandon her children nomatter the circumstances. Even if a woman remarries she will continue to care and look after her children from the previous marriage. This shows the depth that women can reach in taking care of their children whereas a father once remarried can easily neglect children from the previous marriage. Women cannot neglect their children and this attachment to their offspring makes them vulnerable as they go at length trying by all means to manage the welfare of their families.

It is against this background that Alice have decided to pivot upon the women as pillars for community and family transformation. If we are to empower the children of the community and their families, it is wise to invest in the women of the community. On the foundation level we started with dolly making and this has proved to be a success as you sold some of the finished products. We have at this point in time decided to venture into sewing of garments and in this case school uniforms.

We require three sewing machines to kick start the project and with the funds that you have already left we can mobilize the women and hire a qualified person to teach the women cutting and designing of garments. When the women have mastered the art of cutting and designing they can start sewing school uniforms for the surrounding schools. Initially the project will be launched as nonprofit making since it will be purely skill gaining and empowerment until the women can on their own or as a cluster of individuals in the community. At a certain point the project can become profit making and then the women will reap rewards from it.

On the marketing and selling side we are proposing that we can make an arrangement with the schools so that they can get at least 5% of the sales to support their school needs, this way we will be assured of a ready market for the products. This means that the schools will be our agents and selling points for the uniforms. With time we may have to find other selling points that may be convenient with the customers. Uniforms have no seasonal demand as they are needed at any time given that some people can buy on holidays as they prepare for the opening of schools.

There have been efforts of uplifting the community such as the poultry project and the goats’ which have played their part but the sewing one seems to be the climax of the initiatives. With the poultry project some beneficiaries would consume as relish the chickens that were meant to generate income. Such losses are eliminated when women take part in the empowerment projects like the sewing initiative that we have on the cards. Although the chickens were more profitable in the short run, the sewing project is profitable in the long run as is not affected by seasons just as the supply of chicks is limited in winter. Once successful the women may also move into the sewing of jerseys.

On the other hand the cutting and designing skills will personally benefit the women as they can in their spare time be able to sew clothes for themselves and those of their children. Clothing is a basic need and if women can cut their costs by making some clothes by themselves and they will reduce expenditure on clothing and use the resources for other family needs or pressing issues from time to time.

It is said give the child the hook and not the fish. As we labour in these efforts we are giving the women in our surrounding areas the hook so that at any time they can go fishing. We appreciate your support so far as we look forward to this new initiative.

Please notice: For the above initiative we are not asking for more funds we want to utilize the funds you left first then we can see the results. Your prayers and comment are highly appreciated.

George,Irene and Theresa are working flatout as they realizied their mistakes,I hope this time they are going to do their best.

May the peace of the Almighty Father be with you and your families'

Stay blessed

VHF.