Zimfest Donations, Winter 2009

Report from Zimfest Association, June 2009

Most of the net profit from Zimfest 2008 was donated to four non-profit organizations working in Zimbabwe. In December 2008, Zimfest Association donated $4,500 to Ancient Ways, MBIRA, Tariro, and the Dispatch Foundation. Each organization received $1,125.

Below are reports from each of these four organizations about how they used the money they received from Zimfest.

The Dispatch Foundation donation was split 50/50 between Elias Fund (Chiredzi) and Forgotten Voices (Bulawayo) projects. Dispatch Foundation matched this donation, enabling $1,125 to go to each of these projects.

Ancient Ways

Thank you for an opportunity to share how Ancient Ways used the donation from Zimfest. There were a variety of ways we could have utilized the funds as we had many projects on the burners, but the timing of the funds’ availability aligned with our efforts to provide food relief to over 2,500 people in the 13 villages that we work with regularly. The Zimfest donation was matched by a grassroots effort to raise enough to provide 1 meal a day to everyone. The results of the initial fundraising in November/December was that we were able to buy, safely deliver and distribute 14 tons of CSB, which is Corn-Soya Blend with vitamins, so that every person had one meal a day for a month. The food arrived a week before Christmas 2008 and brought a huge sense of relief about getting through that tough season. This purchase cost around $11,000. The donation from Zimfest was an important piece of that, and it also gave us a sense of additional confidence in an overwhelming situation.

The picture here is of the second delivery which occured in March 2009. It took two months to be able to locate and deliver the second batch of food. The company had maize and sugar beans stuck at the border for weeks due to new regulations, and it put a hold on everything we all were doing. Pictured here is the distribution team for the next 14 tons, which included maize, beans, salt, soap, and kapenta (dried fish). From left to right is our Executive Assistant, Senior Nurse, Preschool Head, and Project Manager from one of the regions where we delivered food to one of the 13 villages. They are all very happy to be part of the network providing the assistance that alleviates suffering. Zimfest is part of that network and we are very grateful.

— Jaiaen Beck, Executive Director, Ancient Ways

MBIRA

In January 2009, MBIRA distributed $1,260 of maize meal (upfu in Shona) to 140 traditional musicians around Zimbabwe, of which the Zimfest December 2008 donation of $1,125 was a major portion. The recipients were all musicians on MBIRA’s present and future (recorded this year) CDs, except that in some cases food was given to the children of musicians who have died since being recorded.

Hunger in Zimbabwe was at its peak during January, and food was just barely starting to return to store shelves due to the economy’s switch to foreign currency. I had arranged, via Patience Chaitezvi and her family, to import from South Africa the 140 bags of maize meal (27.5 lbs size, the largest that musicians could easily transport to their homes by bus and kombi, and on foot). Musicians were almost tearfully grateful, describing the hunger in their villages and neighborhoods.

Because “a picture is worth a thousand words,” MBIRA has created this web page, showing a few of the musicians and their relatives receiving the donated food: Upfu: Donated Food Distributed January 2009.

Thanks again for your donation — you touched hearts as well as bellies!

— Erica Azim, President, MBIRA

Tariro

Once again, on behalf of Tariro, I would like to thank the Zimfest Board for granting $1125 for 2009.

As you know, during the past year, the public school system in Zimbabwe ceased to function. Tariro’s response was to move all of its students into private schools allowing them to be among a small percentage of students who actually received education this year. We have used your gift along with all other unrestricted funds to cover the cost of this action. This has allowed 60 girls to continue their education and to benefit from other supportive services such as the annual empowerment camp.

This photo shows some of the girls who have been participating in the traditional arts classes Tariro was able to initiate this year.

— Maggie Donahue, Local Director, Tariro

Dispatch Foundation

Zimbabwe’s Blind Community: Food for the Unseen

Extreme poverty typifies the standard of living for many blind Zimbabwean persons, and with a defunct government overseeing social services, little has been done to combat this destitution. With food shortages troubling the whole of Zimbabwe’s populace, the often-overlooked blind community has been left especially vulnerable. Yet it was for this unseen community that a displaced Zimbabwean farmer started a small food distribution program in 2001. Though initially only supporting 20 blind persons and their families, the program has exploded over the past four years when a partnership was formed with the Elias Fund. Over 260 families now receive monthly foodstuffs and hygienic care, gathering once a month for a day of games, music, and community support.

Thanks to Zimfest Association’s donation last year, the blind community outreach effectively provided maize (corn) meal, beans, sugar, flour, cooking oil, and soap to 262 families. That’s a monthly provision for 600+ individuals!

— Eric Byington, Executive Director, Elias Fund