Dear Family & Friends
Another long overdue email about Isaiah’s Umuzi Wothando and the delightful children of this project – trying not to give excuse after excuse on why it’s taken so long, it’s pretty pointless becoz it’s the same reason more often than not - that time just isn’t on my side! No matter how hard I try with the best of intentions I never seem to get down to doing what I should have done a while ago! Nonetheless I’m starting with the hope of finishing tonight and posting all before I head to bed to start another hectic week tomorrow.
Many friends have asked for a list of things needed within the home and I will try to include this in my email – that way combining two points off my list of “things to do”! I hope my email does not sound demanding becoz by no means is that my intention, I do believe that if one asks, one will receive, and if you don’t ask how will anyone - but God - know what you require.
I’m sure many of you have been anxiously waiting to hear how all the children have settled and how the carers are coping with the intake of the children from the hospital. I am delighted to report that all is going as well as can be expected. I’ll start with things around the home and then move onto the children themselves. The first few days were a challenge - as much as we thought we had just about everything in order we were soon to find out that not everything goes according to plan.
Our “carers” now work on alternating day and night shifts three on during the day, exclusive of the house mother and the house matron, and two on duty at night again excluding the house mother. We encourage volunteers to become involved as much as possible and this can keep our running costs to a minimum.
One of the bigger challenges in the Home has been the supply of water and electricity – but that’s a country mission and not just one of our Home.
The lack of power has made preparation of meals for the children quite a cumbersome task! We do have a small “wood stove” outside which is being used more frequently, especially at times like this weekend where the suburb has been without power since Friday. According to the Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) there is a fault and they do not have fuel for their vehicles to come out and attend to the problem – Only in Zim we find ourselves saying again! Gas cooking would be possible however the handigas used is another item in short supply and when it is available is at an astronomical price.
Secondly, on meal preparations, we have a limited number of pots and pans, well ones big enough to prepare “sadza” (maize-meal) for the 12 children. In fact I say limited but to be more precise we have a serious shortage of large pots and pans. The few we do have are also used to boil the borehole water we have making it more suitable for consumption. Nonetheless the carers have made-do with the pots that are available.
For those living abroad and unaware of the Bulawayo water situation – we receive council water through our home pipes twice a week for a period of about 5-12 hours at best. At other times we are privileged to have borehole water to use - we are truly blessed and thankful that our property has one which provides for our needs.
Water has been a challenge for the staff but on a positive note has certainly taught us conservation of our precious resources.
We are on the look-out for 20 litre containers/buckets with lids which can be used for temporarily storing water. This water is then used for bathing and flushing of the toilets as well as for laundry. Today we were able to utilise the few we had to collect rain water off the gutters as without electricity we could not run our borehole and without running that we have no water supply to the home. This was a challenge but thankfully for God’s blessing of rain one easily overcome.
Without power we also have the “evening” challenge of darkness. The home has wall mounted candle holders but I personally am fearful of candles in a home as a fire risk. We managed to purchase some “battery-free” torches however as you can imagine it is kinda difficult to change a nappy whilst holding a torch in one hand. Ideally we would be most grateful for rechargeable lighting, although with the short/erratic electricity supply this also presents another challenge of recharging them again. Other options available are “inverters” that run off heavy duty deep cell batteries to run lighting, these initially can be quite costly. We looked into the option of a generator however a large voltage one is required to run the borehole, and the inconsistent supply of fuel in Zim would present further issues. At this point we are open to any other suggestions from those technical folk out there.
The bedrooms have been arranged now with the older children in one room and the babies in another, the third bedroom being utilised by our house mother. Unfortunately these rooms are not well ventilated and in the heat of Zimbabwe’s summer can be quite “stuffy”. We are looking for some oscillating/free standing fans which can be used in each of the rooms during the summer months. In winter we would look at the opposite effect being heating.
The toy room remains as it is and the sitting room is now also used as a dining room. We thank our friends for the kind donation of children’s tables and chairs which certainly has kept mealtimes in some order and has added some bright colour to the room.
We have a bookcase in the sitting room which has a variety of children’s books, the older boys have enjoyed paging through most of these books during “school-time”. We have a small selection of children’s CD’s - musical and educational which unfortunately we have not been able to use as we do not have a CD Player. If any friends are looking for ideas of items to donate this would be a great idea.
Our Matron has her work station in the hall entrance. Some extra ideas I have for that area of the house is a notice board on the wall and some photo-frames which contain pictures of the resident children – if anyone would like to contribute in that area, I would be most grateful. Nothing makes a home look homely more than photographs on the wall.
Our garden is coming along wonderfully, the fruit trees are growing well, the grass is beautifully green and the vegetable patch has produced a fair harvest already. The mulberry tree has shed a fair amount of fruit and it’s pretty easy to tell which child has been there. Nyasha, our garden worker is desperate for some tools, a spade/shovel, a rake and even a hosepipe would be great. Please feel free to share your extra tools with him.
It’s hard to believe that it’s almost a month the children have been with us… and the saying is so true that time flies when you’re having fun… Just to let you know we have instituted a child sponsorship programme which can be done individually or as a group, if you are interested in this being a part of this programme, please feel free to contact either myself or Martin. You can post a comment here or respond via our email addresses.
That being said and done, I now come to my favourite part of sharing the development of each of the children, of course with a few pictures included… Sometimes this part can be difficult because I find myself spending time with some of the children more than others, so please accept my apologies if some descriptions are more in depth than others…
Godknows continues to be the “helper” - always keen to offer a hand. His love for the younger children is evident as he is the first around to console a crying baby, even if it is just to pat them on the back or whisper a gentle word. I think I may have mentioned one of his comments at leaving the hospital was the fact that he was going to a home with its own kitchen! “Godi” has settled well, he has his own bed and freely shares this with the others for story-time. He loves going to church with Martin, and each Sunday shows so much excitement. He also loves to play on the swings in the garden.
Nhlanhla is reserved, he seems a little quieter, than when he was at Mpilo, possibly taking in all that he sees happening around him. He shares and plays well with the other children and will often play with the smaller ones, being so gentle with them. 
Both Nhlanhla and Godknows are excited about going to school next year – they have been enrolled at a local government school in the area. More excitement will come when they get to go and purchase their uniforms and other accessories in the New-year.
Munaso loves the freedom of running around – he has so much energy and is always on the go – up and down the driveway on the plastic motorbike, he loves to try climb up the palm tree in the front garden. He seldom sits still, in fact I think only to eat. His deep chuckle is often heard about outside in the garden playing.
Nyatasha has a loving nature - he can play “sad” at any point to win over a hug or get a little attention. He loves his food and often finds his way into the kitchen, hoping for a snack or two. He likes to play outside, dashing back every now and again, to sit with you and laugh at what the other children are doing. 
Panashe has settled well. He is still a little unsteady on his feet but each day he becomes more mobile, walking with less support along the walls. He continues to chatter to everyone and his speech has become more audible. He loves to throw the soft toys around the room and such has good upper body strength. Think we best get him a ball for Christmas – something he can throw about outside and run along to fetch it again. He has this new trick of teasing you and then running away around the corner – his steps are quite small and close together so it just looks so cute, he then pops his head around the corner as if to say come on catch me if you can! His laugh and giggle is so infectious !!
Nkosi loves his new environment – he quite happily plays alone inside or out pushing bikes, cars or the prams around. He is not speaking yet but can express himself with deep grunts, groans and even squeals. He nods or shakes his head in answer to you and understands when spoken to, he is just not showing signs of being ready to talk. He smiles so much more now which is enough to tell us he is content in his new surroundings, and so in the meantime we will continue to encourage him to talk.
Davis is beginning to fill out – as most of our baby’s do! He has a good appetite and now has one bottom tooth out and another one popping up next to it. Initially, Davis was put to sleep in the rocking crib and it was the cutest thing to watch as he learnt by shaking his head the crib would move. He now sleeps in a bigger cot and has learnt to move about in it. He turns about and rolls over playing with the toys around him.
Thembani - Junior has gained a substantial amount of weight and has a healthy appetite. He does not like to be left alone and prefers to be entertained at all waking hours. He is no longer the youngest of our boys however the name has stuck and everyone knows him as Junior.
Another long overdue email about Isaiah’s Umuzi Wothando and the delightful children of this project – trying not to give excuse after excuse on why it’s taken so long, it’s pretty pointless becoz it’s the same reason more often than not - that time just isn’t on my side! No matter how hard I try with the best of intentions I never seem to get down to doing what I should have done a while ago! Nonetheless I’m starting with the hope of finishing tonight and posting all before I head to bed to start another hectic week tomorrow.
Many friends have asked for a list of things needed within the home and I will try to include this in my email – that way combining two points off my list of “things to do”! I hope my email does not sound demanding becoz by no means is that my intention, I do believe that if one asks, one will receive, and if you don’t ask how will anyone - but God - know what you require.
I’m sure many of you have been anxiously waiting to hear how all the children have settled and how the carers are coping with the intake of the children from the hospital. I am delighted to report that all is going as well as can be expected. I’ll start with things around the home and then move onto the children themselves. The first few days were a challenge - as much as we thought we had just about everything in order we were soon to find out that not everything goes according to plan.
Our “carers” now work on alternating day and night shifts three on during the day, exclusive of the house mother and the house matron, and two on duty at night again excluding the house mother. We encourage volunteers to become involved as much as possible and this can keep our running costs to a minimum.
One of the bigger challenges in the Home has been the supply of water and electricity – but that’s a country mission and not just one of our Home.
The lack of power has made preparation of meals for the children quite a cumbersome task! We do have a small “wood stove” outside which is being used more frequently, especially at times like this weekend where the suburb has been without power since Friday. According to the Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) there is a fault and they do not have fuel for their vehicles to come out and attend to the problem – Only in Zim we find ourselves saying again! Gas cooking would be possible however the handigas used is another item in short supply and when it is available is at an astronomical price.
Secondly, on meal preparations, we have a limited number of pots and pans, well ones big enough to prepare “sadza” (maize-meal) for the 12 children. In fact I say limited but to be more precise we have a serious shortage of large pots and pans. The few we do have are also used to boil the borehole water we have making it more suitable for consumption. Nonetheless the carers have made-do with the pots that are available.
For those living abroad and unaware of the Bulawayo water situation – we receive council water through our home pipes twice a week for a period of about 5-12 hours at best. At other times we are privileged to have borehole water to use - we are truly blessed and thankful that our property has one which provides for our needs.
Water has been a challenge for the staff but on a positive note has certainly taught us conservation of our precious resources.
We are on the look-out for 20 litre containers/buckets with lids which can be used for temporarily storing water. This water is then used for bathing and flushing of the toilets as well as for laundry. Today we were able to utilise the few we had to collect rain water off the gutters as without electricity we could not run our borehole and without running that we have no water supply to the home. This was a challenge but thankfully for God’s blessing of rain one easily overcome.
Without power we also have the “evening” challenge of darkness. The home has wall mounted candle holders but I personally am fearful of candles in a home as a fire risk. We managed to purchase some “battery-free” torches however as you can imagine it is kinda difficult to change a nappy whilst holding a torch in one hand. Ideally we would be most grateful for rechargeable lighting, although with the short/erratic electricity supply this also presents another challenge of recharging them again. Other options available are “inverters” that run off heavy duty deep cell batteries to run lighting, these initially can be quite costly. We looked into the option of a generator however a large voltage one is required to run the borehole, and the inconsistent supply of fuel in Zim would present further issues. At this point we are open to any other suggestions from those technical folk out there.
The bedrooms have been arranged now with the older children in one room and the babies in another, the third bedroom being utilised by our house mother. Unfortunately these rooms are not well ventilated and in the heat of Zimbabwe’s summer can be quite “stuffy”. We are looking for some oscillating/free standing fans which can be used in each of the rooms during the summer months. In winter we would look at the opposite effect being heating.
The toy room remains as it is and the sitting room is now also used as a dining room. We thank our friends for the kind donation of children’s tables and chairs which certainly has kept mealtimes in some order and has added some bright colour to the room.
We have a bookcase in the sitting room which has a variety of children’s books, the older boys have enjoyed paging through most of these books during “school-time”. We have a small selection of children’s CD’s - musical and educational which unfortunately we have not been able to use as we do not have a CD Player. If any friends are looking for ideas of items to donate this would be a great idea.
Our Matron has her work station in the hall entrance. Some extra ideas I have for that area of the house is a notice board on the wall and some photo-frames which contain pictures of the resident children – if anyone would like to contribute in that area, I would be most grateful. Nothing makes a home look homely more than photographs on the wall.
Our garden is coming along wonderfully, the fruit trees are growing well, the grass is beautifully green and the vegetable patch has produced a fair harvest already. The mulberry tree has shed a fair amount of fruit and it’s pretty easy to tell which child has been there. Nyasha, our garden worker is desperate for some tools, a spade/shovel, a rake and even a hosepipe would be great. Please feel free to share your extra tools with him.
It’s hard to believe that it’s almost a month the children have been with us… and the saying is so true that time flies when you’re having fun… Just to let you know we have instituted a child sponsorship programme which can be done individually or as a group, if you are interested in this being a part of this programme, please feel free to contact either myself or Martin. You can post a comment here or respond via our email addresses.
That being said and done, I now come to my favourite part of sharing the development of each of the children, of course with a few pictures included… Sometimes this part can be difficult because I find myself spending time with some of the children more than others, so please accept my apologies if some descriptions are more in depth than others…
Godknows continues to be the “helper” - always keen to offer a hand. His love for the younger children is evident as he is the first around to console a crying baby, even if it is just to pat them on the back or whisper a gentle word. I think I may have mentioned one of his comments at leaving the hospital was the fact that he was going to a home with its own kitchen! “Godi” has settled well, he has his own bed and freely shares this with the others for story-time. He loves going to church with Martin, and each Sunday shows so much excitement. He also loves to play on the swings in the garden.
Nhlanhla is reserved, he seems a little quieter, than when he was at Mpilo, possibly taking in all that he sees happening around him. He shares and plays well with the other children and will often play with the smaller ones, being so gentle with them. Both Nhlanhla and Godknows are excited about going to school next year – they have been enrolled at a local government school in the area. More excitement will come when they get to go and purchase their uniforms and other accessories in the New-year.
Munaso loves the freedom of running around – he has so much energy and is always on the go – up and down the driveway on the plastic motorbike, he loves to try climb up the palm tree in the front garden. He seldom sits still, in fact I think only to eat. His deep chuckle is often heard about outside in the garden playing.
Nyatasha has a loving nature - he can play “sad” at any point to win over a hug or get a little attention. He loves his food and often finds his way into the kitchen, hoping for a snack or two. He likes to play outside, dashing back every now and again, to sit with you and laugh at what the other children are doing. Places at a preschool in the area have been booked for Munaso and Nyatasha for the new-year as they are not yet old enough to attend school.
Kuda has settled well and is happy to be out and about – he is doing extremely well at potty training and is able to communicate with the staff when he needs to go to the bathroom. I think in this respect he has made incredible progress. He has a walking ring which if inside the house he moves freely about, and outside he will sit on the mat sounding instructions to all the children. Today I watched him sitting on the mat with Noma talking to her, and gently reaching out to hold her hand – it was too precious for words – I wish I had my camera. He loves being in church, listening to the music and he too goes along with the singing in his own way. Kuda has been given a day-scholar place at King George which is a special needs school for children with disability, until such time as a boarding place becomes available. He was called for an assessment and was not very happy until Mel asked him if he was ready to go back home, he gladly waved goodbye. I believe the day scholar option will be best as an initial introduction to the change of environment for Kuda, they do cater best for his special needs.
Kuda has settled well and is happy to be out and about – he is doing extremely well at potty training and is able to communicate with the staff when he needs to go to the bathroom. I think in this respect he has made incredible progress. He has a walking ring which if inside the house he moves freely about, and outside he will sit on the mat sounding instructions to all the children. Today I watched him sitting on the mat with Noma talking to her, and gently reaching out to hold her hand – it was too precious for words – I wish I had my camera. He loves being in church, listening to the music and he too goes along with the singing in his own way. Kuda has been given a day-scholar place at King George which is a special needs school for children with disability, until such time as a boarding place becomes available. He was called for an assessment and was not very happy until Mel asked him if he was ready to go back home, he gladly waved goodbye. I believe the day scholar option will be best as an initial introduction to the change of environment for Kuda, they do cater best for his special needs.
Panashe has settled well. He is still a little unsteady on his feet but each day he becomes more mobile, walking with less support along the walls. He continues to chatter to everyone and his speech has become more audible. He loves to throw the soft toys around the room and such has good upper body strength. Think we best get him a ball for Christmas – something he can throw about outside and run along to fetch it again. He has this new trick of teasing you and then running away around the corner – his steps are quite small and close together so it just looks so cute, he then pops his head around the corner as if to say come on catch me if you can! His laugh and giggle is so infectious !!Nkosi loves his new environment – he quite happily plays alone inside or out pushing bikes, cars or the prams around. He is not speaking yet but can express himself with deep grunts, groans and even squeals. He nods or shakes his head in answer to you and understands when spoken to, he is just not showing signs of being ready to talk. He smiles so much more now which is enough to tell us he is content in his new surroundings, and so in the meantime we will continue to encourage him to talk.
Davis is beginning to fill out – as most of our baby’s do! He has a good appetite and now has one bottom tooth out and another one popping up next to it. Initially, Davis was put to sleep in the rocking crib and it was the cutest thing to watch as he learnt by shaking his head the crib would move. He now sleeps in a bigger cot and has learnt to move about in it. He turns about and rolls over playing with the toys around him.Thembani - Junior has gained a substantial amount of weight and has a healthy appetite. He does not like to be left alone and prefers to be entertained at all waking hours. He is no longer the youngest of our boys however the name has stuck and everyone knows him as Junior.
One baby who has made incredible progress is Jeremiah – in just one week his skinny frame has filled out – his ribs are no longer visible which is so encouraging to see. When Jeremiah came into the home, he did not cry, all he did was moan – the reason being that his muscles had not developed sufficiently for him to cry. Within two weeks of special care from Nina, our house mother, he has developed incredibly – he smiles and talks and now even cries when he has too. It just shows you how simply a chid thrives on love, and that’s what we plan our home to be – A Home {Umuzi} of Love {Wothando}. 
Ruth is making steady progress. She sleeps well and has a healthy appetite, gaining weight as she should. Ruth is about 4 weeks old now. There is not much to report on a little baby as Ruth because all they really do is eat and sleep and require nappy changes.
Nomalanga is crawling about all over the place, she has begun to pull herself up on the furniture and walk along the walls, she does not yet have the confidence to stand alone but this will come. Nina calls her our little lady because she says she is so graceful and gentle. Noma is beginning to repeat a lot of words spoken and has grasped “ta” and “bye-bye”, and she has her own “thank you”. She sings, bounces about in dance and plays peek-a-boo with anyone willing. She eats moderately and does not fuss when put into her cot to sleep. Her dimpled smile lights and bright eyes light any heart.
Sarah is our bundle of energy as she is always on the go. She is walking, or should I say running, about entirely on her own now, it took a while but no-one can stop her now. She is a strong character who knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. She often spends weekends away from the Home either with the Matron and her family or with a friend of the Home. As Sarah is a friendly baby she is a delight to any visitor.
There is to be another change too, Khanyile was also being fostered along with Moses, however a relative has come forward claiming she has been searching for him now for 2 years. We are pleased to report that although Khanyile will be leaving us sometime in December, Martin and Mercy will be a part of this transition to his new home and we pray for God’s guidance and presence in his life. 
It was interesting to watch how the children intergrated and how they communicated with one another as both groups spoke different languages. Moses and Khanyile generally speak English with a little Ndebele, and of course the Mpilo boys speak mainly Ndebele and a little Shona. It’s good to see though both are teaching each other and all are learning a variety of languages. Hopefully this will continue and their language skills will be varied.
So that brings me to the end of this update, it’s been fun, hope you’ve enjoyed it too. Have a great week and we will post again soon I hope.
Thank you for your continued love and support for this project. God bless
Luv ‘n’ friendship in the Lord always,
Sis Bee
Ruth is making steady progress. She sleeps well and has a healthy appetite, gaining weight as she should. Ruth is about 4 weeks old now. There is not much to report on a little baby as Ruth because all they really do is eat and sleep and require nappy changes. Nomalanga is crawling about all over the place, she has begun to pull herself up on the furniture and walk along the walls, she does not yet have the confidence to stand alone but this will come. Nina calls her our little lady because she says she is so graceful and gentle. Noma is beginning to repeat a lot of words spoken and has grasped “ta” and “bye-bye”, and she has her own “thank you”. She sings, bounces about in dance and plays peek-a-boo with anyone willing. She eats moderately and does not fuss when put into her cot to sleep. Her dimpled smile lights and bright eyes light any heart.
Sarah is our bundle of energy as she is always on the go. She is walking, or should I say running, about entirely on her own now, it took a while but no-one can stop her now. She is a strong character who knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. She often spends weekends away from the Home either with the Matron and her family or with a friend of the Home. As Sarah is a friendly baby she is a delight to any visitor. Moses & Khanyile are adjusting to having all the children with them in the Home, it has taken some time for them to settle as they were used to being the eldest of the children, and now suddenly there are others. 
Yesterday we had the priviledge of sharing in a very special day for Martin and Mercy – and soon we will be saying a little goodbye to Moses as he joins his new mom and dad in their home. He will not be gone forever though and we know we will see lots of him but we pray that he will walk with Jesus every step of the way.
Yesterday we had the priviledge of sharing in a very special day for Martin and Mercy – and soon we will be saying a little goodbye to Moses as he joins his new mom and dad in their home. He will not be gone forever though and we know we will see lots of him but we pray that he will walk with Jesus every step of the way. There is to be another change too, Khanyile was also being fostered along with Moses, however a relative has come forward claiming she has been searching for him now for 2 years. We are pleased to report that although Khanyile will be leaving us sometime in December, Martin and Mercy will be a part of this transition to his new home and we pray for God’s guidance and presence in his life. It was interesting to watch how the children intergrated and how they communicated with one another as both groups spoke different languages. Moses and Khanyile generally speak English with a little Ndebele, and of course the Mpilo boys speak mainly Ndebele and a little Shona. It’s good to see though both are teaching each other and all are learning a variety of languages. Hopefully this will continue and their language skills will be varied.So that brings me to the end of this update, it’s been fun, hope you’ve enjoyed it too. Have a great week and we will post again soon I hope.
Thank you for your continued love and support for this project. God bless
Luv ‘n’ friendship in the Lord always,
Sis Bee
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