jeremy.north

By faith we said we'd build a maternity ward in Mombasa, Kenya. AND we said we'd send three containers of medical supplies. Today, I am so grateful to each donor who has helped us finish the Mercy Ward and who have helped send two containers. One is being offloaded as I type this update! Once we have enough hospital beds, equipment and enough funds, we will ship the third container. Thank you to all who've made this dream possible and to Betsy Dorsey for her constant and invaluable help. #AFCAids #LoveWell #BeKind

The team arrives at the Bulawayo airport looking more chipper than I thought they'd look, thanks to a hotel stay in Johannesburg. It is so great to hug people I have been corresponding with for such a long time! The sky is so, so blue and the temperature is a perfect 74 degrees or so. We pile into the hired van and take off on a 2.5 hour bumpy road to Morning Star, our home for the first five nights of this trip. The Weaverettes and I have been at MS for the past four days and have been getting to know Di and Gary, the new folks who run [...]

Digging holes for chicken coop fencing. Painting trellis frames. Clearing the area for AFCAids' new greenhouse,  Plumbing. Fabricating trellises. Just some of all the things the volunteers have been involved in as part of their Vacation with a Purpose here in Zimbabwe. It is so nice to be under blue skies again after a couple if rainy, dreary and incredibly cold days. It is expected to be 33F degrees tomorrow morning, so this bit of sun is so welcome. (Click on any of the photos below to see larger versions)  

A bit of our day today with team two.....  Some of our volunteers spent time painting bee hives for AFCA's beneficiaries. A beekeeper in Kenya noted that brightly colored hives attract swarms more easily. While others were involved in building a chicken coop, moving a million bundles of thatch And of course we took pictures of some goats... all part of AFCA's livelihoods program - supporting families to build their capacity to sustain themselves!  

Team two has arrived in the Matopos! Everyone is healthy and not acting sleep deprived at all. It is so good to meet folks I've been in touch with for so long (and Suzanne, who I met once, long ago). Welcome to Zimbabwe!

Before and after pictures of the matron's room at the Sandra Jones Centre. This is one of the things we did there and I just love how bright, cozy and nice the rooms look for the scared young girls who will be giving birth to their babies. It is a place where they learn how to be mamas, under the care of the matron.

Some random photos from our June Zimbabwe team.

Corn rowed hair, shaved eyebrows, climbing trees, eating mopani worms, drumming, playing, holding babies, painting, building, cleaning, laughing, sharing, and so much more was done by this group of monkeys and the rest of us (Eric, Hae, Jen and me). I can't wait to see them all again, as all but Juju and Aiden have left to return to their homes. What a joy to share AFCAids' work with them, as well as a million memories. Thanks to the parents who placed their trust in us!

More memories made while in Zimbabwe on a Vacation with a Purpose – here are some photos from the Saturday spent on the farm, feeding the pigs, goats and sheep (part of AFCA’s livelihood’s program) as well as a day teaching how to play games, how to do martial arts and doing repairs to the matron's room.

Sally and I arrive at the farm twenty minutes before the team and we discuss the #AFCAids goat multiplication center she houses for us. Each goat I see looks great...friendly, happy, healthy. It is good to see names I recognize and to see all the babies prancing around. Thando, the man who oversees the care of the goats, walks towards us and says that one goat, Goosie, has likely lost her baby before she gave birth. His face is calm, but he is concerned, so the three of us walk over to check her out. I stand back, watching Sally and Thando at work and observe how gently they handle [...]