Written Lucky Mathe, Mother Africa Trust Operations Manager
We would love to express our appreciation to the Mains’l team for their contribution and support to the elderly, orphans and less fortunate members of Hwange and Matopos communities. Their devotion and commitment needs to be acknowledged, for they are the real life Superman in the lives of all the people they helped during their mission in Zimbabwe.
Eight years have gone by and their commitment and sheer selfless sense of wanting to give back to the community is unwavering but amazing. We celebrate the partnership and more than 30 volunteers that they have introduced to Mother Africa Trust projects since 2010. Paul is always a terrific addition to the team, not only does he bring his baby the First Aid kit but also motivation, energy, expertise and the whole lot of tools that make the mission adventurous and of great interest.
Spending Time at Ethandweni – 7th April to 13th April
People in the world are busy doing everything they can to be different, but quite a few are doing everything they can to make a difference. The Mains’l team made the difference in the lives of the little kids as they spent 5 days at Ethandweni Children’s Home helping in the garden, cleaning rooms, preparing meals and adding smiles to the faces of the children of Ethandweni. The love and the warmth they shared with special residents of Ethandweni are the most priceless gifts anyone could ever give.
Not forgetting the Zimbabwean giants beating the Americans on an International Volleyball game. It was just more than a game but socializing at its best, the kids cheering and clapping and the spirit of oneness and love blazing.
Tour to Khami Ruins
The visit to the ancient city was one of the most unforgettable April experiences for many. As Paul Hubbard passionately shared the history behind these second largest ruins in Zimbabwe, the children listened attentively with so much interest and they asked a lot of questions as this is a part of their History syllabus at school. It was a very educative trip and at the end of the day almost everyone had a lesson to share.
The trip ended with a special treat for the children at Chicken Inn. Special thanks to Hubbard’s Historical Tours, Driving You Wild and the Mains’l team for supporting and sponsoring this adventurous and educative trip.
Laying the foundation of Mgadla Primary School
Everyone working hand in hand to build not merely a school but opening the doors to the future of Mgadla community. We fetched water, moved sand to proximity, cleared the construction area, assisted here and there and handled this and that, we talked, we socialized and we worked even more.
On this day, together with Mains’l team and children from Ethandweni we did not only help in molding one hundred blocks of bricks but we infused so much hope, togetherness and motivation to this great community. When we left on that very day they doubled that number, making a total of 200 bricks molded.
The Goat Gift Project
Building a goat kraal (pen) was projected to take us almost half a day to finish but within a couple of hours everyone was bleating like a goat, with smiles as they shared a special moment with this lucky family which was owning livestock for the first time. The supportive community of Natisa, together with Mr Dube the Village Head joined the Mains’l team in constructing a goat kraal for grandma maDube and her double orphaned grandson and daughter.
The goat which was confirmed pregnant had a miscarriage as the two goats who were complete strangers to each other involved in a fierce fight for dominance just after we left. They had to tie the dominant one until the two became friends and finally accepted that they were part of this new family. The family is taking good care for the goat, they’ve even roofed the kraal with grass thatch.
Dete Old Age Home
Promoting healthy living a happy and a friendly environment for the madalas at Dete Old Age Home, the team did thorough cleaning, gardened and decorated all the madalas’ rooms with very beautiful paintings that were provided by Paul. The team also built a new soak away or drain field as the old one was full and had blocked for almost 4 months. A kind local businessman, Mr Moyo donated old tyres which were used to fill up the drain field. Chuck and Paul invested much of their time into mending and fixing the old and broken fence. The team also sorted and distributed wonderful donations they had brought for our senior citizens. They filled the medicine cabinet, they helped to prepare classic meals, they filled the hearts with love, they socialized and they everyone had fun.
The team had a professional nurse, and an ICT guru who were all willing to share their knowledge.
Independence Day
I should admit, I’ve never thought about Independence Day beyond celebrating our heroes that liberated Zimbabwe. It’s only this year when I was lucky enough to share in the American Independence tradition that I discovered that there is more to celebrate. Being asked what I thought about Independence, I gave my honest opinion and the truth is that I felt there was nothing to celebrate. I was having a political mindset where we are being held at ransom and constantly reminded that we “fought for this country.”
But 18 April this year our fellow Americans showed me that there is more to this day than politics. It’s a day to celebrate life, a day of fun, socializing, and feasting with family and friends. Father Brilie’s morning sermon was also powerful and motivational, he attributed this day to celebrating togetherness. Thanks to our fellow Americans for the joy they share, the parade was the best not just for our madalas (old folks) at Dete Old Age home but for the entire Dete community. Despite the economic challenges, we can still smile and say Happy Independence Day Zimbabwe!
Window Project
Temperatures have been dropping recently with an average of 8 – 13 degrees Celsius. Sharp and chilly winds sweeping through the beautiful lands of Zimbabwe, with occasional drizzle from the grey skies. It’s heartbreaking to imagine a 5 year old in a classroom with no windows being exposed to this harsh weather. But thanks to Lisa and her students in Mujove Elementary School in USA who fundraised towards purchase of glass windows for this new classroom block. Special thanks also go to M2T8, instead of spending their time in the wild enjoying gin and tonics while exploring the wonders of Hwange National Park, they committed their valued time to put window glasses in this new classroom block.
Putty didn’t allow us to do all the windows as it quickly ran out, but I’m glad to report that the school was able to finish up the job we started.
Building a Lion proof boma
M2T8 was also involved in building a lion proof boma for Mr Sibanda a resident of Masikili village in Hwange. These bomas prove to be very effective and they go a long way in promoting harmony between Hwange residents and wildlife. This project also enhances the livelihoods of local people as cattle are a valued economic resource. The manure from the boma is used to improve soil fertility in the fields, resulting in increased crop yields.
Saint Frances Primary School
A school with more than 600 students and 20 teachers was surviving on one 5000 litre water tank. The water situation had attracted the attention of the Ministry of Health who were threatening to close the school.
The school could not run their water system toilets and the blair toilets were too few for this big school. The efforts to do an agriculture garden were always fruitless as water was scarce and plants would eventually die.
Today its smiles and happy faces at St. Francis School as students have easy access to clean water, just by opening a tap near their classrooms. Thanks to a generous donor from Saint Francis, a parish in Minnesota, USA, funds were secured for MAT to source and install a new pump at the school. 
It’s now really a friendly learning environment as they have safe water to drink, enough water to clean toilets and to cook and garden. Soon they will be able to get the water system toilets working again. The additional tank provided and the taps and pipes reaching out to all departments is a great deal for this grateful school.