Help Feed Hungry Children in Zimbabwe

Dear Supporters, 

For the last few years, the 250 plus day scholars from Marula School in rural Matabeleland South have been receiving a cooked lunch every day of the term, thanks to our wonderful donors who have given so generously through The GVI Trust. 

We have just begun another term - and the feeding programme was in full swing from the first day. Our headmistress says that if it were not for their daily meal (in most cases, the only one they will get), the children wouldn’t be coming to school at all.  Now they have the strength to walk the often long distances from home and back; to concentrate in class and to play - (the most important activity of all!)

National Foods provides 1.5 tonnes of mealie meal free every term, and has continued to do so even when the local crops have failed and the bulk of it has had to be imported from Zambia or South Africa. The rest of the food - beans, soy mince, soup and vegetables is supplied from a wholesaler in Bulawayo and trucked out to Marula.

We’ve now extended the reach of our appeal - first, to build a simple outside cookhouse for the two ladies who are presently preparing this enormous quantity of food daily in two gigantic three-legged pots in a horribly smoky room; and second, to provide the most needy children with exercise books, pencils,pens and other basic stationary.

Unfortunately, Government does not assist the school in any way, although this doesn’t stop them from making constant impossible demands on the Headmistress. (Their latest suggestion was that the school should raise funds by starting a fish farm, despite the fact that water is a never-ending challenge in drought stricken Matabeleland. If anyone knows of fish that can survive in hot sand, please let us know…).

So your assistance, as always,  is invaluable. The school was built by local farmers in the 1930’s for a maximum of 60 children. There are now around 350 (including some boarders), so the place is bursting at the seams. We need classrooms, upgraded toilet blocks and so much more, but right now, we’re so grateful that we can offer the children their daily meal, and perhaps make some other changes that will assist them.  

Our heartfelt thanks!

Zim