ASAP Program Expansion with Catholic Relief Services

ASAP Zimbabwe, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services and UNICEF, will be expanding our work to Chimanimani District. The mountainous area is 100 km south of ASAP's Mutare-base and borders Mozambique. Pictured here, Chimanimani Rural District Council Chief Exec. Officer, Mr Harahwa welcomes ASAP's Country Director, Regai Tsunga to the District at an introductory meeting held yesterday. The two discussed ASAP's activities and how best to work together to benefit the residence. The work will not be easy. With a population of of over 92,800, 48% who are suffering from food insecurity, and 35 deaths from the recent Cholera epidemic ravaging the nation, ASAP's program combining long-term household security and cholera prevention will play an important role in alleviating suffering in the District.

UNICEF supports ASAP's work in Zimbabwe

Today, ASAP in Zimbabwe is proud that UNICEF has contributed to their ability to effectively prevent Cholera by contributing a vehicle. As part of ASAP's ongoing partnership with Catholic Relief Services, ASAP joins together with the international community in working relentlessly to prevent the spread of Cholera in Eastern Zimbabwe. Pictured here, Michael Nemaunga, Collins Mutsvairo (center)ASAP's Bridge the Gap Education Projects Manager, and David Nyakatawa are happy knowing that the children of Zimbabwe will receive life saving information on Cholera prevention during this urgent time of need.

Save Zimbabwe Now

Please click on the link to sign the petition to stop the suffering in Zimbabwe Today!
Please sign this petition now

A Quote from President Obama

"To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

ASAP works to prevent the spread of Cholera

Over 2,200 people have died from the Cholera epidemic ravaging Zimbabwe today. With over 42,000 cases reported, ASAP has shifted focus to respond to this urgent need. How to prevent contracting and spreading this highly contagious disease is crucial information urgently needed by the population. ASAP is responding and pictured here, Joseph Miti, ASAP Africa's Field Operations Manager is working to develop an immediate action plan.

Does Education Save Lives?

According to a Jan 8 IRIN article "Education, a long-neglected sector in emergency response according to some aid groups, is gradually being seen as vital in crises, but donor reluctance to fund it persists partly because they do not see it as life-saving, aid experts say."

In Zimbabwe, ASAP knows only too well how education becomes a low priority in times of crisis.

"We must shift our obsession from how people are dying to how people are living.” Read the entire article- CLICK HERE

"We are happy with the reception so far"

Last week the ASAP Africa Malawi team launched the Village Savings and Lending project and began community field work after months of preparations. The team reports a good turn out of people coming to the meetings, especially considering that it is rainy season, when most people are busy in their gardens. Pictured here, Nellie Chisale, ASAP's field officer, is addressing chiefs and leaders prior to the general communities held in the Ndakwera area.

Why doesn't anyone care???

Our local mayor decided the other day that our city is now his. "Peaceful City is mine." he declared. So the recent election was for not. He has refused to leave his post even though he lost the election. People are at a loss and don't know what to do. He is even having the police arrest members of the opposition who are clamoring for his departure, all on trumped up charges.
It is quite a predicament we are in. Some folks are calling for the state militia to come in and depose him but he has a lot of friends in local politics and it seems no one has the political will to take him out.
Meanwhile the local services continue to decline which is why he lost the election. This is a city that recently was the fruit basket of the South and now imports all it's fruit. People in Peaceful City are suffering and no one on the outside seems to care. Can this be real or just a bad dream?? ;)

It's A Small World Indeed

Janette Batiste, ASAP's Malawi Program Coordinator enjoyed a bit of leisure time in Zanzibar last week and shares this photo.

Super Achievers! Sarah Liparulo & Samantha Parry

Sarah Liparulo & Samantha Parry wanted to make their senior project at Lakeland High School in Pennsylvania really count. When Sarah first sent and email to ASAP early in 2008 she was frustrated and discouraged. Her enthusiasm to contribute significantly to an organization that helps to empower impoverished women in Africa were repeatedly ignored until she contacted ASAP.

Since that day, Sarah and Sam have raised $1,245.04 for ASAP Africa! According to Sarah, "We could have picked a simple, easy project to do to help us graduate, but we chose to take on the world. It brings tears to our eyes when we realize how much money we have raised."It wasn't easy, and even through personal crises and bureaucratic delays that would have disillusioned many, Sarah and Samantha never gave up!

At ASAP we are elated that two seniors "on a mission"will contribute significantly to ASAP's work to improved the income and household security of women in Zimbabwe, where the collapsing economy and cholera epidemic are devastating an already impoverished nation.

Winter Newsletter Available

The 2008-2009 Winter Newsletter is up for viewing on the ASAP website. You can access the letter here or from our website, www.asapafrica.org. Read about all of our recent activity and plans for the future.

New Grant Funding Partner!

ASAP is pleased to announce the receipt of a EUR 20,000 grant in support of ASAP's Village Savings and Lending pilot project in Malawi from the Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid. Cordaid serves all aspects of development cooperation: emergency aid, structural poverty alleviation and healh care, working closely together with local organizations. ASAP looks forward to working together with Cordaid to help those in rual Malawi improve their own lives through micro-finance and entreprneurship projects.

ASAP 2007/2008 Annual Report

All of us at ASAP Africa are pleased to share our 2007/8 annual report with you.

It is a time of desperate need in Zimbabwe today and we need your help more than ever. We hope you will add ASAP to your Christmas list this year as we work together to make poverty history.

Giving Thanks

The Thanksgiving holiday has said its goodbyes and we are now all gearing up, sweeping our chimneys so the old man in red does not develop respiratory issues as he slides down them to deliver our iPods, cell phones, and in my case, new hubcaps. I'm sure as we were all sitting around our tables with family or friends taking in an average of 3000 calories (according to www.acefitness.org), there was too much happiness to think about parts of our planet where people don't fret over burning the sweet potatoes, but whether they'll have enough water to make it through another day. One place on our mind at all times at ASAP is, of course, Zimbabwe. According to recent articles, the citizens of a country once known as the "breadbasket of Africa" are now resorting to finding bugs on sticks, even termites to aid their hunger. Mothers are desperately pleading for help to feed their malnourished children, but their cries are increasingly answered with silence. To exacerbate the food crisis, cholera and anthrax are making their way through the country threatening humans and livestock. Due to unbelievable hunger, some are still ingesting the infected meat, making the severity of the outcome largely unknown and dangerous.

One may ask themselves whether this is all due to politics, but at this point the situation is so hard to unravel the important thing is getting these people help. So while most Americans ate their fair share of yams and sipped on egg nog before going and spending a total over $40 billion in stores on "Black Friday" (which is well over the $2 billion GDP of Zimbabwe in its entirety, and that figure is likely exagerated), those in Zimbabwe were wondering why they do not have the abundance such hard working people deserve. All of us having access to read this blog, or to clean water and sanitation, should be so thankful and so happy for the many things we are given in life, and keep in mind over the holidays those that are unable to rush the entrance of department stores for sales on HD TVs and other electronics whose operational techniques are mysteries to most of us that own them.

The following were referneced in this post:
CIA World Factbook- Zimbabwe
The Independent- World News

New Office in Malawi

When people go to work, they shouldn't have to leave their hearts at home.
-Betty Bender

Our ASAP Malawi staff have created a new home for their work in the Chikwawa district. The small sea-foam green building with a satellite protruding from the roof (picture below) might not be similar to high-rise office buildings that carry suits from floor to floor in boxes rising and falling on ropes that are strong enough until they aren’t (picture not included), but this office indeed has heart, excitement, compassion, and running water. Why should we not rejoice? This office will be the point where many will begin their journey to independence, to better education and health, and to a world where progression is valued equally with cultural preservation. Our staff is thrilled to report the recent construction of their desks and that they will imminently enjoy the internet (the IT worker should arrive between tomorrow and the next business month).

However, the Chikwawa office is not only a place of business. It is an assembly point for the community where residents will acquire the skills necessary to grow and increase their productivity. The building is beautiful in its own right, and the staff in each ASAP location is more than ecstatic to have a solid foundation for our work, but the work they are completing in the structure has a value of much more than any building the world has to offer.

The Chikwawa office

Victor enjoying the new sink

Jeanette (top) and Owen use their desks to their full potential

The Elders Set to Visit Zimbabwe

The Elders, a group of twelve global peace activists, is sending three prominent members to Zimbabwe in hopes of fostering some sort of moderation in the increasingly precarious political and economic situation. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Graça Machel, an international activist for women’s and children’s rights and wife of Nelson Mandela, are set to arrive in the country on the 22^nd of November and begin a purely humanitarian mission.

The Elders are hoping to raise awareness of the factors causing Zimbabwe’s decline as international attention has drifted elsewhere while Zimbabweans continue to suffer. The belief is that with more attention on the experiences of the people, the developed world will be more inclined to demand action. Some impart that even these experts are underestimating the state of Zimbabwe at the moment where disease such as cholera is rampant, and poverty coupled with powerful nation sanctions are distressing the common man more than the ruling parties. Although the group has emphasized that their trip is only to look at the humanitarian aspects, there is no feasible way the world-renowned figures can exit the nation without suggesting the political deadlock be resolved. It is their duty as resolution architects to insist on aiding the afflicted who have endured crisis after crisis. However, with leaders such as these tending to their aid in the nation, the situation gains a hope it did not possess before.

More information can be found in this SW Radio Africa article.

Uncertain Future for Power Sharing

Zimbabwe power sharing talks seem to have taken a downturn in the past days. While external international influences have applauded the idea of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai to take the post of Prime Minister and let long time president Robert Mugabe keep his seat, the two parties could not agree on cabinet positions and the break down of power. Zimbabwean citizens needed these deals to succeed as they are making their way through inflation rates of over 200,000,000% and a labor market where only 20% of adults are formally employed. Private donors claim they will not send aid until the opposition MDC has a significant say in government doings. As it stands, Robert Mugabe may be able to form a new government within the week after election and political strife that has lasted since March of 2008. However, some are calling on the United Nations or other international bodies to oversee negotiations, as food rations as well as other aid forms are being cut and the Zimbabwean people are feeling the effects of a government whose limitless power has ruled for almost 30 years.

To read more about the situation in Zimbabwe visit the BBC article referenced in this post.

Good News When It's Lacking

Let’s briefly paraphrase recently covered news headlines

Global Economy Left for Dead, Can’t Afford to See a Doctor

Earthquakes Rattle from Pakistan to Texas

And for you tabloid enthusiasts:

Angelina Admits Love Affair, All of Celebrity Population Follows

It’s not outrageous to claim that “good news” is hard to find and that can be especially true in the international development field. Perhaps we are only exposed to the dismal news to elevate network news ratings, increase the price and sales of our beloved newspapers, or even to keep anti-depressant drug manufacturers in business. No matter what the reason, we can all agree that the unhappy stories are keeping us away from the truly important reports; the ones that we read and help us decide to keep on keepin’ on. At ASAP, one achievement will always outweigh 100,000 losses (although we occasionally thank our stars we have more achievements than losses), and this is why we report our news, free of charge. Donations always welcome.

Our work in cultivating self-reliance is not complimented by all, but when one hears a story like that of Queen’s, the disagreement felt by many quickly turns on its head.

Queen was not lazy, unintelligent, or any negative adjective to be filled in. She was young, widowed, trying to feed her daughter, and a victim of circumstance. When her husband died, she found herself out on the streets but had a clear vision of what she wanted for her and her little one, independence. She was only given $100 from a micro-financing program, an amount most of us consider practically unhelpful, but through selling simple products like popsicles to her local community, she harbored enough profit to move on to selling electronics and other supplies vastly unavailable in her home of Zimbabwe. Today Queen and her daughter happily call Canada home. She is obtaining a graduate degree focusing in Development Studies, and her daughter is now able to study at a university as well. All of these possibilities were made available to Queen because of a simple $100 loan from an organization not unlike ours. We heard from Queen through the glories of cyberspace, in an email she sent commending our work. We not only appreciate her encouraging words, we appreciate knowing that the work we do is life-changing.

Surely, our business isn’t perfect and we all come across pitfalls, but in a world where bad news sells, one can always find words of kindness.

ASAP Invited to Teach Africa

Saturday, November 8th, social studies and language arts educators from all over the state of Georgia are set to enhance their knowledge of global issues, and ASAP Africa has been invited to speak concerning their expertise. Elizabeth will be speaking on behalf of ASAP Africa and could not be more excited to do so. The Teach Africa conference will be presented in association with the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa and the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, with funding coming from the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Educators will be enlightened in advanced techniques for teaching Africa in the classroom, a territory that is still largely untouched, even after elementary school.

ASAP will be among international delegates including Faida Mitifu, Ambassador from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Edith Ssempala, Acting Senior Vice President for External Affairs, the World Bank and former Ambassador of Uganda to the US, who are opening the conference. The day will be filled with cultural enrichment events in the areas of geography, history, government, health and more, which will enable these teachers to inform students of the opportunity and optimism seen in Africa today, rather than the desolate stereotype many believe as truth. The theme of the program is “Africa in Transition”, which is also a theme at the core of ASAP’s work. All of the ASAP staff is enthused by this invitation which shows that we have many allies in our fight to end poverty.

Blog Action Day 2008- Blog Against Poverty

October 15^th has been dubbed blog action day by the internet community. The topic about which to blog varies by year, and ASAP decided to get involved when we found out we’d be writing against poverty in 2008.

It’s not that posting a paragraph defining poverty and pitying the developing world will change anything overnight; it’s the inspiration that will be presented in reaction to millions speaking out against social issues most of us cannot comprehend. It is the fact that we are using the technology many take for granted to inform or educate the masses and perhaps open minds to a world they’ve never seen.

Living on $2 or less a day is not the beginning or end to poverty. One must ask why so many people are indeed living this frivolously, and then decide how to change it. Looking at statistics, 3.8 billion people out of the 6.5 billion in the world are surviving in moderate to extreme poverty. This is a reality that many look at and decide is too large to overcome. In short, however, poverty cannot be characterized as the lack of funds, only as the lack of access to funds and necessities to life such as water, shelter, and health care. For the developed world to act and problem solve we need to first recognize that poverty can not be fixed by giving money to those in need. We must help others help themselves through education, inform those of simple business practices, teach them to protect themselves against disease, and make sure that the developed half of the world has not written off the half that is full of opportunity and untapped success. Once single mothers previously uninformed of how to even go about making and saving money are taught to use their intrinsic skills to start small businesses, one family is lifted out of poverty. Her children are now able to drink clean water, eat healthy meals, even attend schools to develop their own minds and never be forced to live on $2 a day again.

Simply stated, this blog did not solve poverty, but there are organizations working to educate men, women and children and assist in acquiring sustainability. Thanks to blog action day, the word is getting out and it will not be long until the figure of 3.8 billion has rapidly shrunk.