Ladies and Gents
After our short trip back to Zimbabwe(in early Decemeber) it became very clear that we need to try and source some kind of funds to help the Aged (i.e. those in Coronation Cottages etc), the Disabled (those being taken care of at home or those in homes) and the poor animals at the SPCA.
Just to illustrate our point - Whilst visiting an elderly Aunt at Coronation Cottages they received some mail. This turned out to be a letter advising them of an increase in their rent, from Z$10 000 to Z$20 000 (realistically UK£1 to UK£2) per month. Now as it is, most of these people have families or friends who are paying their rents, and they live off their pensions (which for some of them is about Z$8 000 per month - and a loaf of bread is currently Z$3 000). What we heard next was totally surreal!!! Apparently this has happened before!!! What some of the folk may do is take an extra dose of sleeping tablets - so as not to have to wake up again!!!
Now whether this is a dose of senility or actually happens I think there is possibly some truth in it and points out how much difference a meer pound (£1) will make!
To this end instead of asking for money I was put onto a better idea! Seeing as mobile phones are generally very expensive in Zimbabwe this may be a way to raise funds and I am hoping that you will scratch around at home and send me your old mobile phones here in London (most contracts allow you a free upgrade every 12 months in the UK). I will then endeavour to get these into Zimbabwe and subsequently sell them (and if anyone has any ideas on how to speedily accomplish these 2 tasks please let me know).
With the accumulated funds we hope to help pay the rents, medical bills and food bills of these poor people and aid the situation of the animals at SPCA. I shall also continuously update anyone involved on what costs have been incurred, where the money has been used and especially who or what we have helped.
Please feel free to try and ask any of your other work
mates if you feel that this is a good idea!!!
To contact me please use this email address takkieslapper@yahoo.com, or phone me on (+UK) 07950 203 607.
PLEASE ASK ANY CAPETOWN RESIDENT WHO HAS EVER BEEN CONNECTED IN ANY WAY
TO BULAWAYO TO SUPPORT US AND TO FORWARD THIS ON TO ANY OTHER PERSON IN
THEIR E-MAIL ADDRESS BOOK TOO.
On April 10th 2004 a team of volunteer runners from Bulawayo will be running
the 2 Oceans race on our behalf in an effort to raise money to replace
two of the Hospice cars which are becoming increasingly unroadworthy.
These amazing people have already begun getting sponsorship this end
but what we need now is to boost the Cape Town end too if we are to
achieve our target.
Thanks to Sue Kaufman and Tony and Merle Weissenbacher ( of Brookes
fame) who now run the Peace River Trading Store at Greenpoint, we have
begun to ask the many people now living in the Cape who either grew up
here, have relatives and friends still living here or simply want to
help our cause....so many people do express through prayer and messages
their continuing support of our battle to keep going....to either give
a donation or sponsor one of the runners participating.
The names of the runners are ; Charlie Trollope (x-11th Riverside Scout), Pete Tipler (x-8th Hillside Scout), Sean Day,
Andre Zietsman, Trev Thompson, Ann Walder,Sharon Stead, Phil Stead,
Cedric Wilder, Kieron Walsh, Lori Reynolds, Cedric Van Der Horne,
Bridget from Gweru and Cliff Fourie.
So what can you do?
Ask your Cape Town e-mail friend to contact
Sue Kaufman 4397238 and either offer to help with the organisation or
sponsorship; and also ,of course, go along to the race and give our
guys and gals a big cheer. They will be wearing Hospice blue T shirts
with our logo at the commencement of the race.And of course they can
pass this message on to any other Bulawayo sympathisers living in Cape
Town too.
18 months ago it was costing us about $250 000 max. per month to keep 4
nurses on the road, supply the drugs, run training sessions and etc.
And this amount was raised from the generosity of the people in
Bulawayo themselves with Christmas card recycling, bridge drives, cake
sales and so forth. This month our costs rose to $ 6.2 million per
month to maintain the same standards the public have the right to
expect. And you must remember that we serve all of the community...the
young as well as the old, all creeds, all races; this is truly an all
encompassing, all caring organisation.But we Bulawayo people are all
stretched to our limits now, coping with our own economic hardships as
well as trying to shore up all the other charities which so desperately
need help.
So if you have happy memories of the sunny carefree days you spent
growing up in this still beautiful city and you want to join us in our
ongoing fight to show the rest of Africa that we still truly care for
each other, then please assist us in any way that you can.
Thank you and May God Bless you all.
Jeannie Pritchard
Chairperson, Bulawayo Island Hospice.
