Welcome, Welcome, we are all greeting you... These words,
sung by a joyful choir in St. Werburgh’s village, greeted us at
the beginning of a trip to Zimbabwe in September 2006 and
welcome every Portland delegation to the St. Werburgh’s community.
We walked into what once had been an empty building to find a bustling clinic with mothers lined up to get their children immunized, patients waiting their turn and expectant mothers getting a final check up before the birth of their next child. Children were laughing and playing at the school, enjoying a break from studies to say hello to the visitors from America.
How can one measure the power of bringing hope to a child, a caregiver, a community? The gratitude for what we brought from the generous people of Portland, Oregon cannot be described in words, but in moments that we were fortunate to experience.
Precious, a nine year old orphan living with her infirmed grandmother came running up to us with a hosha, a hollowed out gourd used as a musical instrument. She handed it to Carol as a token of thanks as she is one of the children benefiting from our donation of school fees, clothing and school supplies. Her grandmother had wanted to come and thank us herself, but was unable to travel the 2 mile walk to the school.
Phyllis, an HIV+ widow, came to Veronica Nyoni, our Zimbabwe Program Coordinator, early on the last morning we had in Mutare. She entered Veronica’s home on her knees as a sign of respect and in tears thanked Veronica for bringing us to FASO where we purchased some of her embroidered panels. She said for the first time in months she will be able to buy meat for her family to eat and that she was able to pay for her child to go to school. She thanked Veronica for not giving her charity, but allowing her to sell her artwork and support her family.
Money raised at Africa AIDS Response’s annual benefit made our trip to Zimbabwe a success. We delivered funds to support programs and met with the community to determine next steps and future priorities. The personal connection and trust we have built over the years has allowed us to continue to work in a country that faces severe economic challenges. Thank you for your support and for bringing hope to Phyllis, Precious and the people of Mutare, Zimbabwe.
-- Dayna Kirk and Carol Tenenbaum