Latest News from Zimbabwe

From our representative in Harare

In Zimbabwe today there are some visible signs of improvement. For example, there’s food in the shops and fuel in the pumps, but these things can only be afforded by a minute sector of the community and certainly not by the elderly and the vast majority of the population. The political and economic situation continues to be fragile with no long term solution to these problems in sight. Although elections have been called for mid 2011 by the political parties it is patently clear that the country is ill-prepared to hold such elections. Few of the conditions required are ready, not least a new constitution, the updating of the electoral role and constituency boundaries have yet to be determined. As a result of this uncertainty the economy continues to stagnate. The GDP is about one third of what it was ten years ago. Few new jobs are being created as there is almost no new investment. Only a political settlement will enable the country to move forward and attract the investment it so badly needs to rebuild its economy.

Homes In Zimbabwe has made a real difference in the last year to the care homes it serves around Zimbabwe. Since dollarization of the economy and the advent of the Government of National Unity (GNU) the homes have struggled to make ends meet. Most local savings and pensions were obliterated by the collapse of the Zimbabwe dollar two years ago. This had a profound effect on the ability of residents in the care homes to pay their fees for food and accommodation.

Our priority at Homes In Zimbabwe is to focus on ensuring that the care homes here survive so that the facilities are available for a population that really has nowhere else to go. Our support for these homes is truly a lifeline for those who live in them.

In November 2010, Maggie Kay, one of our Trustees, travelled to Zimbabwe to inspect the pensioner Homes and to audit the use of our donated funds. She was accompanied by Jill Dawson, London Committee member of HIZ and a former BBC producer who filmed a promotional video for the charity.

Letter from the British Ambassador in Harare – December 2010

With Zimbabwe out of the news you would be forgiven for thinking it had overcome its recent problems. It’s certainly the case that there have been some improvements. The economy is growing for the first time since 1997. Essential services have been restored. A measure of stability has returned.

But it remains a precarious situation and the sad truth is that, while some are able to enjoy these benefits, others are still struggling to survive.

The introduction of the US dollar as Zimbabwe’s currency has caused the price of many goods and services to rocket, placing them out of reach of those elderly people whose savings and pensions were destroyed by hyper-inflation in 2008. These individuals have no means of support and are now more dependent than ever on the wonderful and selfless work that HIZ does across the country.

HIZ provides support directly to care homes in Zimbabwe that, without exception, are battling to cover their costs. Their work is vital. I have seen for myself the difference that their dedicated staff can make. They work extremely hard to ensure that that every penny they raise goes directly to those in most need.

I would urge you to continue to give your support to HIZ. The work they do provides a lifeline for hundreds of pensioners whose plight may no longer be headline news,


	Mark Canning British Ambassador, Harare

Letter from Nigel Kay – Chair of Homes In Zimbabwe

To all our supporters!

“No news is good news !”

Although our media seem to dwell on the bad news at home and abroad, I have been concerned at the almost complete lack of recent reporting on Zimbabwe. When Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF cronies do hit the headlines it always makes it easier for us to raise sufficient funds to continue the support we have now given to the elderly in Zimbabwe since 2004. This fact, together with the economic uncertainty we face here in the UK, has made fund raising particularly difficult during 2010.

Although the number of elderly people we support has fallen during the year the cost of maintaining them has risen particularly with more and more needing to move from the problems of living at home, usually alone, hungry and frail, to the security offered in a residential home.

With an acute shortage of money throughout Zimbabwe, arising from the massive contraction in the economy over the last 10 years, the homes are now battling to survive financially. Without them the plight of their residents is particularly grave – they quite simply have nowhere else to go. I therefore believe that the best way we can help is to continue to supply a significant proportion of their food requirements - the cost of food is the second largest overhead after staff wages. Not only does our donated food reduce what they have to buy, but with our ability to purchase in South Africa at wholesale prices, everyone benefits from food prices costing us 50% less than those prevailing in Zimbabwe.

For those still in their own homes SOAP (Saving our aged pensioners) continues to provide monthly food parcels distributed by unpaid volunteers. We are the largest donor to SOAP both in Harare and Bulawayo and their efforts make a significant impact on destitute pensioners. The beneficiaries of these food parcels are all frail elderly people who are virtually imprisoned in their own homes that they can no longer afford to maintain.

We are particularly fortunate to have a small team in Zimbabwe who ensure that we support each home at the appropriate level and also purchase at the best prices possible. There are no middlemen involved and no facility payments are ever made to third parties. We keep our overheads at under 10% of our revenues – a significant achievement for any charity large or small.

In spite of the incredible support we receive from our team of volunteers in our fundraising programme here in the UK, the loss of UK Government assistance to our programme has resulted in a reduction in our donation income. If we do not get the support we need we will have to consider reducing our aid to Zimbabwe – we need £27,000 a month to maintain our current programme.

We have an ambitious programme for 2011 and we need you help to achieve it.

My very best wishes