Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a fertile country that was once the bread basket of Africa. Severe drought and rampant inflation are among the many factors that have led to critical food and fuel shortages.

Showers of Blessing was established by BJ Mpofu and leaders of the Associated Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe three years ago to provide assistance with food distribution, the drilling of wells and the establishing of income generating projects. The goal is to support people to become self-sustaining in a very challenging economy.

Khayelihle Children's Village (KCV) was established in 1995 in response to the AIDS pandemic and economic crisis that has left many children abandoned, neglected or orphaned and without extended family to care for them. KCV also supports families in the community whose budgets are stretched when they take in children from their extended families. KCV continues to expand its facilities to meet the great need.

Pastors and evangelists also have very demanding roles as they oversee many churches in a wide circuit and assist with the distribution of maize meal to provide a basic means of survival in these times of crisis.

GMP partners with the New Zealand Churches of Christ (Kiwi Link) in our care for and response to the needs of Zimbabwe.

Profile

Population: 13.3 million (UN, 2007). (98% Indigenous; 1% European.)
Language: English (official), Shona and Ndebele.
Average life expectancy: around 40 years.
Major religions: Christianity and indigenous beliefs.

Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) is a fertile country with the potential of being the bread basket for surrounding countries. However, severe drought continues to devastate Zimbabwe. The forced seizure of commercial farms has led to sharp falls in production and precipitated the collapse of the agriculture-based economy. The people experience rampant inflation and critical food and fuel shortages. The shelves in the shops are empty and ordinary people do not have the resources to purchase the necessities of daily life. This means that Zimbabweans survive on food imported from surrounding countries and through humanitarian relief. Many people have voted with their feet and many, many Zimbabweans, including much-needed professionals, have emigrated.

(Sources: BBC World, World Convention of Churches of Christ, Human Development Report 2007/2008, Telegraph – UK)

Current issues

• Drought and Food Shortages: Aid agencies and critics partly blame food shortages on the land reform program. The government blames the impact of a long-running drought.
• Inflation: Totally out of control; constantly increasing; over 100,000%; highest in world. (Eight years ago, Z$14 million would have bought a mansion in Harare. Three weeks ago, it was enough to buy one can of Diet Coke. By yesterday, however, a can of Diet Coke cost Z$56 million. – Telegraph, UK)
• Employment Rate: 20% formally employed
• HIV/AIDS: More than 1 in 5 people are HIV positive.
• Human Development Index (HDI): One of the lowest in Africa (151 out of 170 countries)
• The economy is in tatters with urban poverty increasing four-fold in five years
• Many people are suffering the endemic impact of poverty and unemployment, political violence and destruction of the social fabric of society.

Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe

John Sherriff, after arriving in Rhodesia in 1898, wrote enthusiastically to friends in Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand about the missionary prospects. By 1904 he estimated that he had baptized two whites, six African women and 67 African men and youths. The New Zealand Committee agreed in 1905 to take full financial responsibility for the work in the Bulawayo area.

In 1934 R.S. Garfield Todd and his wife, Grace Wilson Todd, arrived as Churches of Christ missionaries in Rhodesia from New Zealand. In the 1940s Garfield Todd saw that he could help by entering into politics. In 1946 he was elected to the Parliament and became Prime Minister in 1953. He was ousted in 1958 due in large degree to his pro-African policies.

Sir Garfield and Lady Grace Todd lived on a large ranch near Old Dadaya. In 1949 they gave 650 acres of the ranch for a school at Dadaya.

In 1989 the Australian Overseas Mission Board (now Global Mission Partners) entered into a partnership with the New Zealand Churches of Christ and the Zvishavane Conference Council of the Associated Churches of Christ of Zimbabwe. The majority of the more than 200 local churches are not self-sufficient. They are being served by 60 trained ministers with an overall church membership exceeding 20,000.

About 800 congregations of American Christian Churches and acapella Churches of Christ makes the number of Stone-Campbell movement congregations in excess of 1000 and growing!

Supporting evangelists and church growth in Zimbabwe

Churches of Christ has numerous churches and pastors in an area of Matabeleland between the cities of Bulawayo, Gweru and Masvingo. Despite all the hardships the churches there are flourishing. Doctors, lawyers, engineers and other highly qualified professionals who once would rarely be seen going to church are now joining regularly for worship.

Because of church growth and the inability to pay a full-time pastor, most pastors serve up to 8 churches.  Particularly in rural areas, they have to walk long distances from one preaching point to the next. Recently 6 motorbikes were purchased by Australian churches to assist pastors to visit each of their congregations more often. This has also assisted with the many funerals they are asked to conduct.

As yet, many rural churches do not have buildings but meet under trees or in someone’s backyard.  The hope is to train young people in building, carpentry and welding by involving them in the building of churches.

Showers of Blessing Trust – Food and Water Security

Showers of Blessing was established to provide assistance with food distribution, the drilling of wells and the establishing of income generating projects. The goal is to support people to become self-sustaining in a very challenging economy.

So far  12 bore holes have been drilled. One goal is to ensure each village has an accessible water supply within 5kms. Many currently walk up to 10kms for water.  We are told of people weeping as the clean, clear water gushes metres in to the air for the first time. The drilling of wells has had an added bonus. Those who had gathered their water from the rivers have that they are very likely to contract the cholera currently sweeping through the major cities of Zimbabwe.  Those who draw their water fresh from the well have stayed healthy.

Due to the effects of the drought, economic and political decline, and major food shortages, many people are starving.  GMP have been supporting a food distribution program in the Church of Christ areas.  Allocations of maize meal are carefully distributed from churches so that the rural people have at least one staple food in their diet to survive on.  Since the situation has worsened, bags of maize meal are now being distributed to those living in the cities as well.

Khayelihle Children’s Village (KCV)

For more than 10 years KCV has been home to many abandoned, orphaned and destitute children who have grown up and some have gone on to further study.  They often arrive as very young children.  All live in one of the family houses until they have completed their education.  KCV currently has 88 children living in five houses. The aim of KCV is to provide each child with shelter, food, educational, medical and spiritual guidance in a loving, stable, home environment. Australia has contributed to the building of two houses so that the children can be cared for in a family environment.

The Community Orphan Care Program provides support to people caring for more than 100 children in the Bulawayo area. This is particularly directed to those families impacted by the HIV AIDS pandemic where children are left to care for siblings or aging grandparents have taken in extended family. KCV provides these children with educational and medical assistance and some supplementary food.

KCV is also a fully functioning farm providing food for the children and an income. There is an orchard with orange, guava and mango trees, and avocado and paw-paw plants. One and a half acres of garden grows chomoullier, sweet potatoes, cabbages, rape and onions. There are also cows, sheep and chickens in the agricultural project.

Dadaya High School

Dadaya is a High School run by Churches of Christ and has about 1000 students. COCOA partners in a bursary program to enable gifted students to continue on to tertiary education.

BJ Mpofu – Living Link

Kiwilink and Global Mission Partners have made a commitment to support BJ and Chipo Mpofu as Living Links for the next few years. BJ coordinates the Showers of Blessing Trust and church leadership and training. This change in focus coincides with him becoming President of World Convention of Churches of Christ. Zimbabwe continues to need the support and leadership of people such as BJ and Chipo into the future. Becoming a Living Link is another way of strengthening the ministry of the Associated Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe.  You can become a Living Link by giving $60/month. Please email info@inpartnership.org.au.

PDF download

If you want a PDF to print out or take away with you, please find the Zimbabwe update as an attachment below.