Food Security Zimbabwe Project #2818

Food and Self-Reliance for AIDS Orphans

by American Foundation for Children with AIDS

Project Report | Dec 5, 2013
Do You Remember That Song?

By Tanya Weaver | Executive Director

In 1984, a group of renown musicians got together to sing. It wasn't just any song they sang and they didn't sing it for a particular audience. No, they sang to raise awareness and funds for the people of Ethiopia because millions there were in danger of starvation. Click here if you want to listen. Now, don't laugh when you see the hairstyles, makeup and outfits worn in the 1980's!

Now, in 2013, there is a hunger that is stalking another country: Zimbabwe. Thankfully, the situation isn't as severe as it was in Ethiopia in 1984, but it IS severe and children no longer can walk to school because they are too weak to do so. Children and elderly people are dying because they just don't have enough food to carry them through another day. My heart breaks for them and I pray for rain and for hope for them.

During this holiday season we can all get together and do something to help others. While we celebrate with food, family and friends, we can also celebrate the giving of life to others who just don't have what they need to survive for much longer. Will you join us in giving hope?

For $1500, we can deliver enough food to feed 256 children and guardians for an entire month. Surely, together, we can do this...we can share of our riches so that children in our programs can make it though this terrible time. When they come out on the other side of it, we'll be there with seeds and livestock, ready to teach them how to grow veggies with little/no water so that next time the rains don't come, they are able to eat and survive without external help.

If you have questions or want to do more with our organization, write me at tweaver@AFCAids.org. I am here to help.

Happy Holidays, all,

tanya

Links:

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Sep 13, 2013
When will the hunger start?

By Tanya Weaver | Executive Director

Conservation Farming training

It is with deep sadness that I read a report about the food situation in Zimbabwe. Here it is: http://www.trust.org/item/20130906111437-9zysp/?source=shem I have a hard time understanding how some of us have so much and others have so little. It is hard to wrap my head around the fact that children will be hungry while we throw food away and complain because we want more choices.

But, there is a silver lining around my thoughts - because of you and of AFCA, there are 628 orphaned families who are eating this season and they are eating balanced meals, at that. That means, there are over 3100 children and guardians that get up in the morning to milk their goats, gather eggs from under their chickens and who gather vegetables from their gardens. Yes, times will be tough for them with little water, but, with planning and proper mulching and water conservation, I trust they will all get through this next drought healthfully and full.

What about the other children, though? There are 1,800,000 orphans in Zimbabwe and all of them should eat. None of them should perish due to lack of food. Now is the time to do more, to dig deeper and to help out the others. AFCA is expanding our programs to include two more villages in Zimbabwe, but we need your help (and that of your friends) to make it possible. We'd like to purchase and deliver more goats, chickens, guinea fowl, seeds, and hope. Will you help us? Let's rally together during this last part of the year and do more for more children. This will be the cry of my heart as we march into the holiday season - let's give kids on the other side of the world the chance to celebrate life, too.

We are taking our first volunteer team to Zimbabwe in June 2014. We'll be finishing the construction of a school and will be building arborloos. Come join us, visiting this magnificent country and see what you've helped us accomplish. If you are interested in being part of a Volunteer with a Purpose team, email me at tweaver@AFCAids.org and check out our website (VWP tab) to find out more. We have space for 16 people - why not be one of them? Families welcome.

Carrots thriving with little water

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Jul 2, 2013
Her name is Fatima

By Tanya Weaver | Executive Director

Getting a goat vaccinated

Meet Fatima:

She is 15 years old and has a dream. She dreams of continuing her education so that she can, one day, provide for her 3 younger siblings and her grandma. She dreams of one day moving to the big city of Bulawayo so she can attend the university there and become a doctor. She dreams of getting married one day and of becoming a mom.

Not so long ago, Fatima dreamed of eating enough food and not going to bed hungry.

While not all her dreams have come true yet, by all signs we see, Fatima will be able to accomplish some of the goals she's laid out before her in the very near future. As the proud owner of a herd of goats which she's taken care of thoughout the last year, she is well on her way of accomplishing her dream of eating well - she couldn't believe how good milk is when she first tried it! With the veggie garden her family is growing, thanks to the seeds we sent them. Fatima and her siblings and grandma have added kale, beans, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, and onions to their diet, as well. This makes her happy, as she no longer goes to bed hungry and she doesn't hear her siblings complaining of stomachs that are painful in their emptyness.

She is learning how to save seeds for next year's garden and knows that as long as she is careful, they won't lack for vegetables again. With training in conservation farming behind her, she is a wiz at mulching and fertilizing her small garden, showing me how it is done. I am so proud of her. I am so proud of these kids who, against all odds, are moving ahead, providing for themselves and getting out of the cycle of poverty.

While visiting her last week, I asked to see her goats and she showed them to me with a small smile of satisfaction on her lips. I did the happy dance which is translatable in any language without the need for words. We danced together and together, we continue to dream big for Fatima and her loved ones.

Fatima with Grandma

With Kid Born a few days ago

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