If you haven’t already, you can read about how H.E.L.P. is growing in Africa and specifically with Musha weVana in Marondera, Zimbabwe. We are thrilled to be a part of the Family Praise Fellowship team that is serving orphaned and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe, and we want to be a part of their plans for the future.
For years now, the Family Praise church has shared a vision of caring not only for the children in their town, which they do through the work of Musha weVana, but also for reaching out to the many children left orphaned and abandoned in the surrounding rural areas. Zimbabwe’s economic collapse and great political uncertainty have delayed their plans time and time again, with the local authorities reluctant to commit to being a part of such a project when the future is so unclear. Yet despite all the setbacks, the church’s dream persists, and H.E.L.P. wants to be a part of that dream.
The church is in the final stages (for the fourth or fifth time!) of negotiating with local tribal and government officials in the rural area around Marondera for a tract of land which can be farmed to provide food for vulnerable children and which can serve as a base to reach out to the surrounding community. They would set up a center to provide housing for orphaned and abandoned children, and would give support for foster parents and extended families in the area.
The church has had difficulty securing the land, as officials are wary of a new constitution, new elections, and a new currency – each of which brings the threat of violence and renewed turmoil in this already troubled land.
The local political situation is complex, involving layers of community ownership, tribal leadership, and a shaky unity government between two rival parties. We have absolutely no way of knowing when the land will be granted, as it has been both imminent and greatly distant many times before.
However, we do know that when the church is finally granted permission to move into the rural area to begin caring for the children and families in need there, we need to be ready to move to help them.
Pray with us that Zimbabwe will return to peace and stability, and pray also that the church will continue in faith to pursue the God-given dream they have to serve the poorest of the poor.
If you want to be a part of this dream, you can host a Garage Sale 4 Orphans event to raise funds for the new rural home, or contact us for more ideas about how to take part in this new venture.