The Rotary Club of Toronto-Leaside
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The Rotary Club of Toronto-Leaside |
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The Salvation Army ZIMBABWE TERRITORY Commissioner Amos Makina Territorial Commander Lieut-Colonel Robert Ward, Chief Secretary William Booth – Founder |
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HOWARD HOSPITAL P.O. BOX 190 Glendale, ZIMBABWE Telephone (0)758-2433 |
THE ZIMBABWE BULLETINAugust 2004 |
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“ … to preach good news to the poor…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow upon them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Isaiah 61:1-3 |
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To many of you basking in the rays of summer, we would like to share something of the goings-on south of the equator, from the depths of our Zimbabwean ‘winter’. We are alive and well, working at the coalface of health care delivery in Zimbabwe, dirtied but delighted by the recent developments in the ministries at Howard Hospital. Many of the highlights revolve around our projects and partnerships in HIV and AIDS. Howard Hospital has always tried to provide comprehensive care under one roof, integrated with existing services, as they say, horizontal rather than vertical programming. Many folk are already aware of the start of our HIV treatment center offering antiretroviral medicines to our community; but, the clinic was not built in isolation, occupying the same office space as our tuberculosis program, counselling services and feeding center. Furthermore, recent developments have integrated family planning and reproductive health issues with HIV, again using the same physical space. We take some pride in this accomplishment. There are not many institutions in the world where, for example, a couple can arrive in the morning for a health education talk, the expectant wife receiving antenatal care including ultrasound and immunizations, the husband receiving investigation and treatment for his chronic cough including laboratory investigations, radiographs, physiotherapy and medicines; they can both benefit from pre-test and post-test counselling for HIV, and if tested positive, ongoing medical, nutritional, social and spiritual support. All in a day’s work, albeit, with a few queues in between. Bring a good book to read! Of course, there are limitations in what we can do. We estimate that we have 25,000 people living with HIV in our district alone, 5,000 in desperate need of treatment. Our government sponsored program provides for 100 people only. Thus, we have to look for other supporters to meet the huge demand for HIV care including drugs. The demand is high but the costs are low, at $1 a day. The road to recovery for AIDS patients on anitretrovirals can be so impressive that people have called it the Lazarus effect. The shift in emphasis towards treatment cannot de-emphasize our efforts in prevention of HIV transmission. The time is now to remind our children and ourselves about how we got into this mess. In Zimbabwe, it is pre-marital sex, unfaithfulness to our spouses, unfaithfulness to God. Unlike the schoolboy, who when asked how many wives one could have responded, ‘4 better, 4 worse, etc.“, no, we cannot take multiple partners and expect to be alive tomorrow. At least, not in Africa. In Shona we say, ‘Zingizi gonyera pamwe; maruva enyika haaperi’. The wasp should stick to one flower. We remain grateful for the big extras that allow us to meet the daily needs of medical and spiritual care in our community: the donation of a field hospital via the Salvation Army in Sweden, a large container of medicines from Health Partners International and the Compassionate Resource Warehouse in Canada, an art auction, piano recital and golf tournament in support of our work. Ve’ahavta, the Canadian Jewish Humanitarian Relief Committee continues to be a faithful partner as we move from prevention of mother to child HIV transmission to the treatment and prevention in pregnancy. Again, apologies that this is not a comprehensive list of our supporters but some highlights of recent developments. The Thistle family is deeply appreciative of our friends and relatives who do the little extras that keep us running when we are near empty. The everyday things we take for granted in Canada are a cause for celebration here where inconveniences are commonplace. When and if the phone is working you could try to dial a pizza at Howard: it’s thirty days or free! Paul had a recent opportunity to meet with the Salvation Army regional health team in Swaziland, a holiday of sorts, but a privilege to share experiences across Africa in HIV care. Back at home, King James I of Howard rules the roost. He wants to work with his Daddy in the hospital. Though he can push a stretcher we remind him that reading would be an advantage at the job interview! Besides, by the grace of God, he’ll soon have a little brother to occupy his time and sacrificially share his toys with. Pedrinah is expecting in November. In closing, we would like to use this opportunity to express to you our prayer requests. Please pray for : Ø Political stability in Zimbabwe in light of the 2005 parliamentary elections. Ø Economic growth in the country, especially improvement in living conditions of families devastated by HIV. Ø Financial support for the construction of staff housing. Ø The operations of the hospital in a time of 300 percent inflation. Ø Our ministries in the community: Home Based Care, AIDS Education, Support Groups of People Living with HIV, Child Sponsorship and Follow up of Patients in our HIV Treatment Program. Ø Support to purchase a new vehicle for community outreach. Ø James’ home schooling. Ø Our health and safety. Pedrinah is resting at home with pregnancy complications. Martin Luther King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter most.” Thank you for allowing us to share a few of the things that matter most and for your faithfulness and your encouragement during our years in Zimbabwe. |
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Your friends, Paul, Pedrinah & James Simbarashe The Salvation Army Howard HospitalPO Box 190 Glendale, Zimbabwe
www.salvationarmy.org/www_zim.nsf |
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