Zimbabwe Videos

I'm not sure if anyone is still out there in my blogging world, but if you are, take a few minutes to watch these videos about Zimbabwe created by the Dispatch Foundation. They are also partnering with our friend Ryan's organization, Forgotten Voices, to help the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe. The latest has been a cholera outbreak which is killing hundreds. There are many worthy causes to give to, but if this is one you care about I encourage you to give to one of these or the many other organizations that are working to help our friends in Zimbabwe. Let's not forget them!



How many people can we feed? from Dispatch Foundation on Vimeo.



Starvation and Hope from Dispatch Foundation on Vimeo.



Love and Unity from Dispatch Foundation on Vimeo.

Diary from Zimbabwe

A women living in Harare writes a diary every once in awhlie for the BBC Africa website. I always find it interesting to hear how life continues to change for people in Zimbabwe. You can read it here.

Sugar Fast

Tomorrow I'm starting a 5 day sugar fast. It's no secret how bad sugar is for us, and yet it's my weakness. The first thing I do when I get home from work is find something sweet, usually a handful of chocolate chips. I like doing these little fasts, just to prove to myself that I can and I have some small ounce of self-discipline in me. A few weeks ago it was a Facebook fast and it felt good to be successful. Luckily I love fruit so I'm hoping that will satisfy my sugar cravings for the week. And somehow posting it on here will help me follow through. But for tonight, a Coke and bowl of ice cream are waiting for me...

Could it get any worse?

Conditions in Zimbabwe continue to deteriorate rapidly and people are getting desperate. People are starving! I'll let you read more about it here.

We received an email from a friend in Zimbabwe this week. Here's what he wrote:

"The underlying fact is that the situation is getting worse everyday. The Zimbabwean Economy has just collapsed. Prices of all commodities are far above reach. I sometimes wonder how we are surviving. Our survival is through grace. Out in the communities people are starving to death and some are surviving on feeding on wild trees that have never been eaten. The yesterday Chronicle Newspaper mentioned the New prizes for mealie meal. A 50kg now costs 10 million. No one gets that much as a
salary.Most of the commodities are now basically sold in Forex."

It was over 2 years ago that Joel and I left for Zimbabwe. Things were bad then and they've progressively gotten worse. I have no idea how people are surviving, and I know many aren't. In the next few weeks I'll be putting together some Christmas gifts for some of our good friends in Zimbabwe. I wish I could just send all the mealie meal they'll need to get through the next year.

A situation like this demands a response. It is time to start giving... sacrificially... because even my tiniest sacrifices don't come remotely close to what my dear friends are experiencing.

The Heat Is On

Tonight Joel and I finally turned our heat on. I can't remember what's normal, but it feels early in mid October. In one of my little attempts to be more 'green' I was trying to leave it off as long as possible, but tonight we caved. Who knew 17 degrees celcius would feel so cold? Last night I wore my toque in an attempt to stay warm while watching TV. Maybe that was a sign. The cold house brought back interesting memories from our experience of winter in Zimbabwe. It got really cold at night and our house wasn't insulated. Add that to the concrete floors and we were freezing. Nights would be spent as close to the fire as possible and we would go to bed wearing hats and fleeces piled with as many blankets as we could find and hot water bottles to warm our feet. Not really the image you normally get in your mind while thinking about Africa. I am still amazed that people survive in huts sleeping on the bare ground with little to no covering. We're keeping the temperature lower than we did last year, but I'm grateful for the option to press a button to warm my home.

Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty

I just found out that today is blog action day....when "thousands of bloggers will unnite to discuss a single issue." This year it's poverty. Visuals seem to help when talking about poverty. There are thousands to choose from but I thought this video was good.



The very last line keeps ringing in my head. "I didn't forget." I'm one of the few who has seen real poverty and have good friends who live with its challenges daily, but I still forget. I think we all do. So, what are some of the things you do to remember the poor? One of the things I really want to be more intentional about is living a life of simplicity. It involves a hundred and one daily choices and in our culture it's easy to choose excess. What are some things you've done to live a simple life? Is poverty something you even care about or does it seem too big and too hard to solve? Let's get the dialogue going... thousands are joining us today!

Vote for Environment

I have virtually no interest in Canadian politics. Due to my lack of knowledge and to be honest, lack of actually caring, I was originally not going to vote. I know, I know... if I don't vote, I have no right to complain about the government (I don't think I ever have), I'm not using the right that women fought so hard for me to have, etc. etc. Valid points. I tried watching the leaders debate, but was quickly bored and flipping to the American one. A few weeks ago my cousin, an occasional reader of this blog, sent me a link I found interesting. It's basically a site to help you vote strategically for the environment and apparently I live in a "red hot riding" that can make a difference. Of all the issues, I think the environment is a significant one and one I'm willing to throw my support behind. So if you haven't made up your mind yet, I suggest you check out "Vote for Environment".