It would be so nice to be able to say for once that the general situation in Zimbabwe is changing for the better. However, the news on virtually every front is appalling. Everything about life in Zimbabwe has been reduced to the most absurd levels. Imagine having to queue for up to 5 hours to withdraw your own money from the bank. Imagine arriving at the bank queue to find that there are two queues, one for Police, Army and Youth Militia, and one for everyone else. Imagine having to queue for two days to draw out enough money to buy just one single loaf of bread.

According to doctors in Zimbabwe, the cholera epidemic in Harare is claiming many lives and the government is massively under reporting the death statistics from this easily preventable disease. The city's water pumping works break down regularly as little maintenance has been carried out for several years. Some parts of Harare have had no water into houses, or sewage waste removal all year. Sewage flows down the streets of several high density suburbs. The water from many of these wells is infected, doctors say, and accounts for much of the cholera. Some of the congregation owning PC’s will have seen photographs recently taken by our artist friends showing pools of raw sewage outside their homes and children scavenging for food on waste dumps. The outbreak of cholera has come just as the annual summer rains are due and doctors have warned that more than 1.4 million people could be in danger of contracting the disease. The artists like many others are desperate for money to buy seed to grow maize as food mainly available on the black market is so expensive. Again, the artists sent photos of black market trading. Should anyone with a PC wish to be copied on these unique images please contact me at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it One almost imagines that the ‘government’ is quite content for all this to continue as the more people who die the less problems they face. Two artists have recently lost family. Godfrey’s teenage son Dison died and also Godwin’s only child, a two year old little boy called Tinaishe, which means God is with us. Viola, who runs the craft section at SH and tries to look after 4 impoverished widows and their families in Mutare texted me today. She sounded desperate and said people were dying around her and that we are their only hope. She is not one prone to exaggeration.

In Dieter Scholz’s diocese and outlying rural areas the whole food chain has been disrupted, resulting in villagers competing with wild animals for roots and wild fruits. Small animals have been poached, so baboons and jackals are coming down into the communities to find wild fruits, while lions are preying on donkeys and the few cattle and goats that are left. At one school village enrolment is down to four pupils, from 20, and desperate parents who can manage to keep their children in school pay fees with chickens or goats.

I always try to end on a positive note. Andrew, reported from his home in the bush at Goromonzi, that some maize and cooking oil from UK and US charities was being distributed but this was a rare sight. Also, the 4 large crates of sculptures finally arrived at Felixstowe after hassle every step of the way and I thought – cracked it! However, HM Customs had other ideas and decided to search the load – perhaps they expected to find the President who is actually a big fan of the UK, hidden away amongst 3 tonnes of sculptures. Crawley URC subsequently received their crates and a team of people worked hard unloading and unwrapping hundreds of pieces. Everything was catalogued and displayed inside the Church sanctuary. The congregation in shifts, manned the beautifully designed stalls from 10am to 7 pm for a week hence catching commuters on the way home. Not bad for a small URC! My main contact and the driving force was an 82 year old petite, frail but extremely tenacious South African widow, also a dab hand with a PC! The first 4 days of the sale realised £6000 so this plus proceeds from Kingston URC sale and ‘The Shed’ means that £11000 in US$ will have arrived by end November ensuring hundreds of people in Zimbabwe will at least have some sort of Christmas. The phone has just rung – Crawley advise me that a superb piece by Peter Kananji has just sold for £1250. You may recall in a recent article that Peter was suffering terribly due to lack of bandages/painkillers for his badly damaged leg but still continued carving. This news will put a big smile on his face!

On 26th November, it’s Horsham URC’s turn as they attempt to sell the remaining sculptures collected from Crawley topped up if necessary by ‘The Shed.’ They have put together an extremely imaginative programme of associated events covering the whole week. The next courier, a senior Jesuit and good friend departs early January and will take our gift day donation sorely needed by a very hard pressed Father David at Silveira House plus further sales proceeds from Crawley and Horsham. This will get our friends off to a good start next year.

‘The Shed’ of course will be open during daylight hours most days so anyone looking for that something a little different for a Christmas present for the family need look no further!

Johnston Simpson