In Conclusion: Thoughts On Zimbabwe

 

I have so many thoughts and so much to say about Zimbabwe and everything that I experienced that I'm deliberating on how to bring that about and how long this blog/email should in fact be. I'm just going to let it happen and see what comes. If I'm repeating then I apologize.

 

First the People

The initial thing that comes to mind in regards to my trip is just this group of kind people that I involved myself with. Everywhere I turned there seemed to be someone who was willing to help me and guide me, etc.

 

Second the Peril & Possibilities

The day that I got back I was pondering my trip and I was trying to figure out how I felt about everything that I saw in Zimbabwe. It was put to my pefectly and succinctly that what I saw was both "peril and possibilities." Using that phrase really helps to sum it all up nicely. Constanlty my eyes just saw people in peril. One becomes so familiar with the place that they are in, that I tended to forget that I was in fact in a third world country. We use that phrase here back home in America without thought or care and with ease but in fact it means so much when you are there on the ground. People are in peril. Children with AIDS. People losing their homes. People being killed by the goverment. People having a real reason to hate their goverment. At the same time I reference you back up to my first section of this blog, due to these people at the same time you see possibilities. Zimbabwe was at one time a thriving country, and in reality it was not that long ago. It can be again I believe, or at least in a much better situation.

 

Third the Breaking of the Cycle

We need to pray for new goverment. I would rather not even touch on the current goverment because who am I to really start pointing blame, but I do think in my honest opinion that change can first occur if a new goverment comes into power. Just because that happens doesn't necessarily mean things will change, but part of the possibilites I think hinders on a change of regime. There is a cycle of corruption in Zimbabwe that I fear is going to be hard to break. It begins with the uppermost leaders in goverment and filters down into the everyday people. It is a vicious horrible cycle. Life for the everyman revolves around the parallel market ( a.k.a. black market) due to the immmoral and insufficient goverment restrictions on the necessities (gas [petrol], food, power, money, etc). Because of this goverment and these unlawful (but of course they are the law) restrictions and legislation people are forced to become "movers and shakers" just so they can live at a normal level. I fear that even if a goverment change does occur this part of the cycle is going ot be hard for some to break. It will be a slow process if anything. Furthermore, the corruption cycle runs into the civil servants. This is a major problem. If the police are not being fair and just and honorable then that has so many explosive counteractions for a society. I was driving home from Hwange National Park on my last two days before I departed for home. I was driving on a main highway (meaning paved and one lane each way) and a police officer off in the distance stood out in the middle of the road and waved me over to the side as I approached. This is common practice in Zimbabwe. I got stopped 4 times on my trip home form the park. Except, now, as you get pulled over, everything is up in the air. The third time I got pulled over the police officer asked for my license (I was not speeding, there was not even a radar gun out, I was driving safe and fine) then started walking around my car looking at it suspiciously. He asked me to get out of the car and then proceeded to accuse the car of being stolen. He did not go back to a police cruiser or check some system - in fact I didn't even see one around at all - he just made the accusation after walking around the vehicle. I told him it wasn't. He said that I didn't have the proper tags on the car. This car was not even mine, it was a rental. I knew at this point that this police officer is making this whole thing up. What he is doing is looking for a bribe. This happens all too often in Zimbabwe and has unfortunatly been woven into the fabric of the culture. This is an every day occurance. Corruption like this must stop.

 

Fourth the Last Thing I'm Going To Say

That is all I can say. I have written a lot and I have so much more. I feel like I can go on forever. I feel blessed and I appreciate, and I will see Zimbabwe again sometime soon. I have said my thanks in essence, but I will conclude with just specifically the people who helped me over in Zimbabwe.

--- Specifically Denis, a godsent, just a huge help in times of need and basically always. The King family (Warren, Tez, Kayla, Davin, Byron, the baby in Tez belly), this is a large family (with the extended family almost all living on the same property outside Bulawayo) that just gives and gives and gives. They put me up for countless nights and fed me countless times and I took food from them and took time from them out of their lives and they were so willing and so amazing. I miss them already. The Anderson family (Paul, Syliva, Daniel, Emma, Scott, Abby) related to the King's, and everything I said about the King's I echo for the Anderson's. They put me up for a few nights and fed me and just made me feel like I was at home and let me use their internet and just everything. Victor Nakah (president of TCZ) put Ryan and I up for a few nights and took teh time to speak to me privatly and is a kind and caring man who cares about TCZ very much along with Forgotten Voices. Bishop Danisa Ndlovu (along with Trezia, Winnett, Dudu) a man who is determined to help Forgotten Voices and is in fact going out of his way to help a group of young actors who are travling from stateside blind into Zimbabwe. Along with that he fed us and gave us shelter and spoke to us kindly and let us sit and pray while he and his family prayed in the native tounge. It was great. Richard Ndlovu (along with Snow, Vuyo, and little one on the way) again, same as above, gave us shelter, love, food, some music, a great family. Fibion Ndlovu who is giving his life to the church and the people in his community as people pass away daily. It takes a strong man to attend funeral every day for people he knows, Fibion may have the nickname of "the little elephant" but he is a strong man definitely and I appreciate him.

 

Until next time,

Stephen Bozzo
 

Thanks, Before I Go

 

I haven't been able to write much because I have not been near a computer much over the last few days. I am leaving to go to the airport to fly home. I will write a final blog when I arrive at home, but I wanted to quickly say thanks to everyone. Specifically thanks to my donors (I love you), the people here in Zimbabwe who helped me along the way (I appreciate it very much), those reading this blog who donate to FVI and AIDS related charities (keep it going and praying you are very much needed), those who read this blog for the entertainment and stimulation with my wonderful anecdotes and nuance filled prose (keep praying for this country and supporting FVI whenever you can, it is much needed and it definitely helps), and thanks to FVI (you rock).

Stephen

Quick Update

Been driving back and forth yesterday and today. I have met again with Victor Nakah the president of TCZ, John Stamboli the vice president, Fibian Ndhlovu the pastor of the Free Methodist Church, Warren and Tezwin King assitant pastor of The Rock church. Now I am headed to a late tea with Bishop Danisa Ndhlovu bishop of the BICC. Quick prayer request: Today after meeting with Fibian one of his volunteer assistants Horace came rushing into the office, his father is severly ill at the moment and had to rush to the hospital. I offered to drive, so we set off. Pray for his recovery. That area in the western suburbs has it hard enough as it is. Tomorrow I am going to a local orphanage to spend some time with the kids and offer up my services for the day. God Bless.
Stephen

What I Have Been Doing

2 of 2 Updates Today

Here is what I have actually be doing. Since coming from Mtshabezi on Saturday I have been keeping myself pretty busy. The Anderson family (Paul, Syliva, 4 kids, Danielle, Emma, Scott, and Abby) have been kind to put me up for these past few days. They are a great family and are really just nice people who love to give of their time and their privacy. Down at Mtshabezi I had busted a tire so I was unable to go to church in the western suburbs which I had planned and told some of the leaders over there that I was going to be there. So on my spare I made it back to The Rock church. The service was good, and then a nice family the Thompson's invited me back to their house for Sunday lunch. After lunch I spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying time with the Andersons because I knew that I would have a busy week. We played Clue (or as they call it Cluedo for some reason, apparently in Britain and Zim it is Cluedo but I don't know what the bogusness is all about cause I know it as Clue, no do), and then we played football (a.k.a. soccer) outside. The kids went to bed and Paul, Sylvian and myself watched The Italian Job. It was pretty relaxing day I must say.

Monday consisted of me fixing the car, which took longer then anticpated, spending some time over at TCZed, interviewing the Andersons, making a ton of local phone calls to secure-in my week. Today I woke up at 6:30 for a morning meeting, and then headed back over to TCZed with a quick meeting with head of TCZ Victor Nakah, I spent some time with a frend, and then went over to an extremely interesting meeting with former Bishop of the BICC church in Zimbabwe Jake Shenk and his wife. I am taking this week to sort of fact-find for  a future FVI documentary, prepare for that accordingly, and also do interviews for some articles that I am writing for certain publications. Bishop Jake was great. He is extremely highly respected in this community. He speaks fluent Ndebele (the native tounge in the western part of Zimbabwe) and actually wrote there first ever dictionary. Jake, as you can probably tell from the name is an American man. He is in his 70s and has lived her for 50 years. He is a Messiah alum, and seems to just know Zimbabwe backwards and forwards. I was interested to learn that he has had many meetings with "His Excellency" President Mugabi himself. Jake has been a huge supporter of Forgotten Voices and is just a really interesting and engaging person. I am really glad that I got to spend some time with him today. Now I am heading out to interview two more people and I am excited to keep on learning about this interesting country and these interesting people.

I gotta go,
Stephen

The 24 Shoes

1 of 2 Updates Today.

I'm not really sure who reads this blog as I am fairly new to writing on it myself, but I want to take this first update and speak specifically about what my feelings are on Forgotten Voices International. Maybe some donors read this blog and they will be confirmed in there expectations, maybe some friends (non-doners) read this blog and they will be motivated to give, and maybe people just read cause they are friends/family with Ryan, and now myself I suppose.

There are huge N.G.O.'s that come in here to Southern Africa and make certain impacts, i.e. your World Visions, your food relief organizations, and there are people on opposing sides of the spectrum who would argue to the effectivness (in the long and short run) of these monster organizations. But FVI has got this niche, and it really carved out something wonderful and it has really started to make some serious in-roads to helping those who suffer around these parts. I see it with my own eyes now. It is life effecting. Not only my own life but more importantly those lives that FVI is specifically effecting.

You see, FVI has an interesting way of operating, a way that I believe (with my limited knowledge of other N.G.O.'s working around here) that it is more rare than commonplace. FVI's goal is not to come into a situation throw money at it and then run away. FVI does not take a 'holier than thou' attitude, meaning we are coming from the first world (the better world) and we are here to help you the third world (the lesser world). FVI does not take the assumption that we know more about a given community or a set of people then the people themselves. If FVI held any of these stances then they would be foolish and useless. The best thing about the make up of FVI is that they (as I have learned working immediatly with Ryan) engage themselves in conversations with the leaders of these certain communities, (1. The Free Methodist Church in the socially [very highly AIDS infected] and economically [extremely poor] deprived western suburbs, 2. The Mtshabezi National AIDS Mission/and Hospital, 3. Theological College of Zimbabwe [TCZed as the Zimbabweans call it], 4. Christian Leadership Resource Center [CLRC], 5. Plus more initiatives and plans in progress) find out what they deem the best practices - since they know their people and they know there country better then FVI, how presumptious of FVI would it be to think otherwise? - and then work cooperativly to see how they can help.

Finally, not to belabor this obvious point of how much I apprreciate FVI, a quick story that helps dramtically highlight why I respect FVI and its strong hold on its mission. The first time (a while ago now) that Ryan and I went to visit the Mtshabezi Mission we went out into the homesteads (as I believe has been reported by Ryan) with Gordin and Obert. But we first went to a local Mtshabezi primary school were FVI supports 12 of the orphans. The children had been walking and attending school for months without shoes. Part of this group of 12 were talked about in previous blogs, Shelton, Consillia, and Margaret. But Forgotten Voices supplied the money (thanks to donor efforts) to buy the 24 shoes for these 12 children in need, while the Mtshabezi mission purchased them and saw the necessity for these 12 children. The 24 shoes were in the back of our truck. Gordin had all of the kids line up in anticipation. Ryan and I retrieved the shoes from the truck and began to hand them to Gordin and Obert. Gordin and Obert waited for Ryan and myself to start handing out the shoes to the kids ourselves. Ryan quickly said 'no' to them, he made it clear that the point of this specifc project was for the leaders of this community to be the ones supplying the aid to these orphans in need. It was not about Ryan or myself or America with our five pairs of shoes each, sneakers, dress, sandles giving to these kids. It was about the community living to sustain. It would be easy for Ryan to take the credit, to hand out the shoes and see the smile on the kids faces and get that obligatory satisfaction; but he helped FVI hold to their mission. This was important for me to see, and I think it makes a strong statement.

Thanks for reading,
Stephen

Voice of America Interview

Friends - Ryan Keith here. I'm now safely back in the USA and just arrived back in PA for a few days before heading to Boston. As you may remember, I flew back from Africa and then to Chicago, finishing in Kentucky for a fundraiser for Forgotten Voices. It's been a wild ride and I'm obviously tired. Looking forward to much sleep.

Please continue to pray for Bozzo, as he is there for another week continuing his work.

On my drive back from Kentucky today, I was contacted by Voice of America, an international broadcast show that is paying special attention to Zimbabwe these days. They have quite a few listeners world-wide. They did a 20 minute interview and this was shortened to about 3 minutes in the editing room  You can read more about the interview and listen online here: http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/Zimbabwe/2007-05-28-voa29.cfm.

You may have to download RealPlayer. I couldn't find a way around that. If you know of a way, please let me know so I can pass this on to more people.

Many thanks for your attention and for praying! I am deeply thankful for this.

More tomorrow after I rest.

-Ryan

A Return To Mtshabezi

I find myself back in the wonderful rural village of Mtshabezi. I really wanted to come back down here after visiting with Ryan last week. The first time I came a week ago it was pretty tough. To better explain, the village of Mtshabezi consists of the national Aids Project headquarters, with the Mtshabezi hospital right next door, along with a school system, and local homesteads (people who live in the village). It is an all-together different experience then the city atmosphere of Bulawayo, both very interesting, just very different. Last time Ryan and I, accompanied by new head of operations at the Aids Project, Gordin, and his colleague Obert, went out into the homesteads to see some of the FVI orphans and also some of those on their death bed's living out there final days with their families instead of at the hospital. The first time everyone informed me of what we were going to do, but it doesn't really become real or effecting until you actually experience it all with your own eyes, and smell it with your own nose, and touch it with your own hands. Ryan can attest, it was quite hard for me. I think it would be hard for anyone the first time that one experiences something like that. I mean we can read about it back home, the few little blurbs about the disease at the bottom of BBC.com or in our national newspapers, but when you are there, it is just challenging. A lot of me was confused because I didn't know what to feel. And I certainly felt inadequate finding words to say to someone like Jessica (30 years old, mother of two, living at home in her last days, lacking ARV's, the ground as her bed, the flies and bugs crawling all over her), what could I say other then "God Bless" because how could I relate? How could I even try and find some sympathy for her? It almost felt wrong to do so, because in reality I can't even imagine.

 

With that said, as hard as it may have been for me the least I could do was show my face again and hopefully they will see in my face that I do some how care, that I do want to help in whatever way that I can, and that I was not just coming once and then leaving forever. So, once again, along with Gordin, Obert, and this time some friends Joel & Julianne Percy and her parents Bruce & Gale, we set out to the homesteads. We once again went to see Jessica and she looked the same but was saying she was feeling better, she seemed a bit more interactive and I also felt more interactive this time. I'm very glad that I went back.   Among seeing many others, we also went back to see three orphaned children whom Ryan has written about, Shelton and his sister Consillia and their cousin Margaret. Well, Consillia and Marget were nowhere to be found, but we did find Shelton. What a kid! Cute little guy, I believe 8 years of age (I'm unable to log on the internet and read what Ryan has written on the blog, I can only send to this blog from my email which is what I can sometimes get on to, ever so occasionally) and just full of life and energy. Kids are still kids wherever you are in the world, this is what Shelton has helped prove to me. He was wearing the shoes that you (the donors) helped provide him with (we gave them to him last time we visited here a week ago) and was running around playing with his friends.   Joel & Julianne popped him into their car and he seemed to be enamored with the horn (or the hoot as the Zimbo's call it). For a little over and hour we waited for Consillia and Margaret to return, and in that hour I played with Shelton. It was actually tons of fun. He loved playing with my camera, he didn't understand the concept of how the camera works yet, but he did love pressing the button and seeing the digital pictures pop up for the few seconds that it did. I will send the pictures to Ryan and I am sure that he will post them at some point. Consillia eventually came and Joel & Julianne gave them each some presents, which was nice.

 

A story that I unable to get out of my head these past 24 hours that I think should be told that is a tough write/read but I think a good way to show that the donor dollars are going to something important ( i.e. education). A young girl (5 years old), both parents having died from the disease, lives alone with her grandmother (a.k.a. Go-go). Her grandmother goes out during the day to work in a local house as a maid, and when the grandmother is gone the neighbor comes over. This neighbor, an older man, is infected of course. This 5 year old girl gets the disease. It is now the present day, the neighbor is in custody now, the girl is 10 and she is dying. Because of liver problems and stomach problems she can no longer eat any protein. Protein is important to anyone's body, but to a young girl dying from AIDS it is extremely important. She has been cleared to take ARV's, except this is such a strong drug that one needs tons of protein in the body to even take this drug. So the drug that can help sustain her she is unable to take (unfortunately this is not a stand alone case in regards to ARV taking, many ARV's have become available for patients except they cannot take them due to malnutrition.) The reason that I say this story is a good way to show that the donor dollars goes to something important is that, in regards to the neighbor and also many others who believe in this following misnomer, it is common around uneducated people here that if one is infected with the disease that a way to alleviate it is to sleep with a virgin who does not have the disease. How sad. How misinformed. If children could keep on learning the truth about this disease as they go through school cases like this could be avoided in greater numbers. My apologies for the perversity of the story, but for these people here it is life. It is happening to the person living in the hut next door, it is happening to your friend, it is happening as you walk the 2 hrs to work, it is happening to your family, your brother, sister, father, mother.

 

But that is the ugly side of Zimbabwe. There is also much more, a happier, lighter, more hopeful side. I feel that a lot of the optimistic side of Zimbabwe is found in the kind and gentle people. Zimbabweans are known for their hospitality, and they have certainly lived up to their billing. Richard Ndlovu, head administrator of the Aids Hospital here at Mtshabezi is a perfect example. Along with his wife Snow and young son Vuyo they have been supporting and helping out FVI for years now, feeding and providing a bed for whomever comes into town. Last night as he strummed his acoustic guitar and we sang old hymns and we sang local songs (Hakuna Waikaita) I was sent to my bed room laughing and smiling and just thankful for these kind people.