Thanks to The Jewish Funders Network

During the past few months ASAP has received valuable assistance from the Jewish Funders Network's Pro Bono Resource Bank. The consultant that has been working with ASAP to develop a clear strategy and vision as we move forward and grow. The experience has been fantastic. To read more about this program click here.

One Year Ago Today

On September 15 2008 a power sharing agreement was signed between Zanu PF and the Movement for Democratic Change(MDC) in Zimbabwe. It's been a year of politic posturing, and working together to heal the nation has not yet been realized.

Creatively Working Together

Click here

U.S lawmakers support Zimbabwe's unity government

Monday, September 7, 2009 5:45 PM EDT
The largest delegation of U.S. lawmakers to visit Zimbabwe in a decade is calling on the country's leaders to ensure the success of the unity government.
The delegation concluded a two-day visit Thursday to monitor the progress of the government formed in February. The visit included meetings with President Robert Mugabe and other government leaders.

The delegation included Gregory Meeks (D-New York), Jack Kingston (R-Georgia), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Melvin Watt (D-North Carolina) and Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio).

The U.S. has criticized Mugabe's 29-year-rule but the Obama administration has thrown support behind the coalition government

Meeks said only the unity government had a "reasonable prospect of delivering benefits to the Zimbabwean people."

Binyavanga Wainaina

Krista Tippet's thought provoking interview with Binyavanga Wainaina this morning explored the morality and efficacy behind many Western initiatives to abolish poverty and speed development in Africa.

Wainaina is the founding editor of Kwani? literary journal and the director of Bard College's Chinua Achebe Center for African Languages and Literature. During the in-depth interview he states "Where things work is where people do them themselves."
To listen to the interview click here.

How Robert Mugabe defies old age

Comment from The Times (UK), 23 February 2009
by Jan Raath
To the naked eye, Mr Mugabe looks the very picture of health, even for a much younger man let alone someone in their ninth decade. "He is in very good shape for 85," said a Harare doctor, requesting anonymity. "I would be very happy to look like that when I'm 85." In an interview on local television at the weekend, Mr Mugabe attributed his apparent health to a lifelong regimen of daily exercise. He said that he jogs each morning and maintains his weight between 75kg and 80kg. "This ensures my body is full of muscles, and not fat," he said. He also works out in the gym in his new mansion in Harare's exclusive suburb of Borrowdale Brooke and has a personal trainer. He has always eaten carefully, has never smoked and admits to only "an occasional glass of sweet white wine".

Nutritional Gardening - Timing is Everything

The two gardens featured in the photos above belong to Rinnet Gotekote (top) and Janet Chikodo(below), ASAP cluster facilitators in rural Zimbabwe. It is fantastic that these photos were taken at the end of October in 2008 - the onset of the annual rainy season. Such a successful and productive garden would be virtually impossible without ASAP's Health and Nutrition Development Initiative. The HANDEI Project increases food security through conservation farming skills, drip irrigation and nutritional gardening.Click here to read more about the HANDEI project.

Send Your Congratulations to Dr. Muhammad Yunus

Muhammad Yunus will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama this month. For more than 33 years Dr. Yunus has been committed to fighting poverty and giving the world's poorest people, mostly women, the resources they need to start their journey from poverty. Click Here if you wish to leave a congratulatory message for Professor Yunus.

We Are All Connected

Back in 2001, when the Internal Savings and Lending (ISL) was the newest micro-finance innovation, proving to be very effective at increasing household income and food security in rural Africa, ASAP contracted CARE in Zimbabwe to build our capacity and learn more about this innovative and promising program. After ASAP successfully launched our first ISL pilot project funded by The McKnight Foundation, CARE in Zimbabwe extended ASAP’s capacity building partnership, assigning Mr. Christopher Nyamandi to work with ASAP for a full year under the guidance of Mr. Alfred Hamadziripi.

As is the trend in Zimbabwe today, both Mr. Nyamandi and Mr. Hamadziripi have moved from Zimbabwe and have taken positions with other organizations. In this case they are in Sudan and Kenya. And it is through these long-lasting connections and friendships that ASAP successfully helped to build the capacity of the delegation from the Norwegian Church Aid program in Darfur, last month. Recently, Mr. Mohammed Abdelkarim Elsafi expresses his thanks to Regai Tsunga, ASAP’s Country Director in Zimbabwe, writing:

"Dear, Regai
…. let me thank all ASAP family who contributed highly to make our visit succeed, it starts from the bottom from the friendly drivers up the Director who all supported and facilitated our visit.
Be assured that the knowledge that the team acquired while in Zimbabwe will be put for the benefit of our beneficiaries in Darfur. Once again thank you very much for the hot and sincere hospitality. Let me emphasize that the visit is marked as a beginning of an ever lasting cooperation for the sake of our people here and over there, we will keep the good attitudes of Zimbabwean people in our hearts as it marks an unprecedented visit of it is kind to a Sudanese to interact with their peers in a brotherly country in West Africa, borders separated Africans from one another but by such activities we hope to be linked up and cooperate. Eventually let me also take this opportunity thank the architect behind this work, our friend Christopher Nyamandi who make it real.

Best regards

Mohammed Abdelkarim Elsafi
Protection, Psychosocial and Peacebuilding Coordinator
NCA Darfur Programme - Nyala"

Picture here, Mohammed Elsafi and Chris Nyamandi

ASAP expresses thanks to CARE in Zimbabwe, The McKnight Foundation and ALL of our donors that make our work possible each and every day. Together we will succeed and make poverty history.

Seeing Is Believing!

Dignitaries, journalists and community members were taken on a walk-around of two irrigation sites last Friday, as part of ASAP Malawi’s first field day for the “Chimvano pa Chuma” project ( CCP) “Unity for Economic Growth” project in Chikwawa district of southern Malawi. Above, the group including journalists listens attentively to ASAP’s Senior Field Officer, Lingstone Ganamba, during a visit to one of the irrigation plots.
The event, which was attended by close to four hundred community members from different villages, was a great success. Click here to view the newspaper article that appeared in The Nation in Malawi on Sunday August 2nd.

The field day had two main areas of focus – village savings and lending (VS&L) and small scale irrigation. VS&L is an internal rural savings club project that teaches communities how to pool their resources and become financially self reliant. To read more and see a short video about this project, click here.
Currently ASAP is working with 42 VS&L groups in Malawi and together, they have mobilized over MK 421000 ($ 3000) in savings. The event also served as a medium to enhance the spirit of self-reliance and promote the spirit of learning from one another among community members. Thus, the day gave ASAP the much-needed opportunity and publicity to showcase what had been accomplished within the first four months of its community level operations in Chikwawa. In the picture below the gathering listens to the VS&L success story.
Through the small scale irrigation component of the project 83 community members received farm inputs and treadle pumps at subsidized price and are irrigating over 18 hectares of land. Pictured here is Lingstone Ganamba explaining how vast the irrigation sites are, with a proud community member explaining how ASAP efforts had helped to improve food and economic security at household level.
The event was attended by, among other dignitaries, the District Commissioner, the District Agricultural Development Officer, Total Land Care Officials, representatives of other non-governmental organizations, Chief Ndakwera and other local leaders. In the picture above Sub-Traditional Authority Ndakwera makes a speech, thanking ASAP for empowering a community which was previously synonymous with free hand outs. He requested ASAP to consider scaling up to other villages within his area. Taking his turn, ASAP Malawi Country Director encouraged community members to continue working hard so that their economic status should continue to improve. He expressed thanks and appreciation for the support ASAP was receiving from the local leadership, government departments and development partners.

In addition to the speeches made by different individuals and traditional dances performed by communities, participating communities showcased how VS&L had improved their economic status in only a few short months.

Text books Help Children in 132 Schools in Zimbabwe

ASAP through the Bridge The Gap In Mathematics (BTG) project has headed to the call by Manicaland Provincial Educational Director (PED) Mr. Peter Muzawazi for the donation of textbooks to schools. The donation of approximately 2000 textbooks to 132 primary schools that participate in the BTG project in Chipinge, Mutasa, and Nyanga is expected to reduce the pupil textbook ration to at least 1:4 down from a maximum ratio of 1:40 in some badly affected schools. ASAP will deliver the books to all the beneficiary schools through their cluster centers.Above, the PED Mr. Peter Muzawazi officially receives the donated textbooks from the BTG project manager Collins Mutsvairo (left) on behalf of the beneficiary schools.

The PED thanked ASAP for the donation. “After the teacher textbooks are the next most important and indispensable resource for effective teaching and learning” he said. He expressed the hope that beneficiary schools would provide grade 7 results to ASAP so as to document the improvement that is expected.Pictured here (right) Mr. Mhembere an Educational Officer at the Manicaland Educational Regional office scrutinizes the books after receiving them from the BTG project manager Collins Mutsvairo on the left prior to presentation to the PED.

Summer Newsletter

ASAP Africa is delighted to share our summer newsletter - Click here
and read our latest news.

ASAP is pleased to announce the receipt of an additional $3,000 toward ASAP's "Help 100 Families Grow Food in Zimbabwe " from A Harvest of Hope, a Home and Garden Fundraising Event to Help the Hungry by Irene Dunlap and Stacey Robbins.

According to Mrs. Dunlap, Co-author in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series.

“One of the things I love most about ASAP Africa is that they teach people how to utilize their soil, which is sometimes the only resource that the people they serve have. The strategy of training people to learn a skill that will help them gain some self-sufficiency is by far more effective than feeding them for the short term."

This project is featured on the Global Giving web site. Click here. Our goal, to raise $9,950 by October 1st, is now within reach - please help us by donating today! Click here to make a secure donation online today

Ms. Mashava Shares Her Success Story

Pictured above, Plaxedes Mashava is making a testimonial to the benefits of ASAP’s Kufusa Mari Urban project, part of the Joint Initiative (JI). Project ongoing since 2006. “I reside at Block 9, Room 4 OTS, Sakubva Mutare. I joined the JI Internal Savings & Lending (IS&L) in October 2008. As a widow, I used to face many money related challenges until a friend advised me to join IS&L clubs in Sakubva. I realized that the food donation would sooner or later be a thing of the past so I joined the Kubudirira IS&L group in OTS, Sakubva. To date, I have managed to raise money to meet part of my family electricity bills, monthly rentals and food. My daughter no longer feels the absence of her father because I can now manage to meet her basic needs from the profits I am realizing out of IS&L activities.”

The goal of the Joint Initiative Project is to restore dignity and reduce suffering for the most vulnerable people in urban and peri-urban areas of Zimbabwe. This is a collaborative project between Mercy Corps, Save the Children, Practical Action, CARE and Africare. ASAP’s role in this project is to adapt the Kufusa Mari village savings and lending model, which we have been implement since 2001, to the urban area outside of Mutare.

ASAP is proud to bring our ethos of long term economic strengthening to improve the households’ resilience to promote self-reliance. Working as part of this large, holistic, collaborative project, which also fills immediate urgent needs such as food and health care, the results and response have been spectacular.

ASAP Zimbabwe Shares Knowledge to Benefit Darfur

It is said there is no better way to test your knowledge than by teaching. This last week ASAP Zimbabwe had the opportunity to do just that - with over 8 years of experience implementing the Internal Savings & Lending project, the Zimbabwe team was delighted to share their insight and experience with a delegation from Norwegian Church Aid-Darfur Program (NCA-DP). Pictured above, Joseph Miti (ASAP's Program Manager) explains the ISL methodology on-sight in rural Zimbabwe to Farhat Abaker Osman Sead of NCA-DP.

Mohammed Abdelkarim Elsafi led his delegation, which departed from Zimbabwe today after a fruitful week of learning. Through the expertise gained from ASAP Africa in Zimbabwe, the NCA-DP will return home and work to build the income and food security of internally displaced persons in the South and West Darfur region.
Pictured here from left to right, Regai Tsunga (ASAP Zimbabwe Country Director) shakes hand with Mohammed Abdelkarim Elsafi (Head of NCA-DP Delegation), Mohammed Adam Brima Hamad, Farhat Abaker Osman Sead and Christopher Nyamandi, all from NCA-DP.

To learn more about ASAP’s ISL projects, and how this successful project is improving lives all over the world, click here.

JB Bids Farewell to ASAP Malawi After 1 1/2 Years of Selfless Service

On Thursday, June 25, ASAP Malawi held a farewell party in honor of one of its dedicated team members, Jeanette Batiste, whose contract with ASAP in Malawi came to an end. The farewell party, which was held in the evening at Matechanga Conference Center in Chikwawa district, was patronized by ASAP staff, district and community level partners and stakeholders. In the picture below Jeanette takes to the dance flow and is joined by some of the invited guests.
Jeanette, popularly known as JB within ASAP circles, joined ASAP Malawi in February 2008 as Program Coordinator to help with institutional development and establishing the organization in Malawi. In her brief but touching and moving speech, Jeanette expressed her thanks and appreciation to the ASAP Malawi team, now being led Victor Katchika-Jere.

“ASAP is still in its infancy, but it is in the hands of a great and capable team led by Victor and with the support of our partners, I believe and know that Chikwawa and other districts where we will be expanding to, will see what ASAP is doing,” she said.

A representative of the District commissioner for Chikwawa District Assembly said the district will remember Jeanette for introducing to the district an organization which had transformed the thinking and mindset of many people at the grassroots. “In a few months ASAP has been operating in the two project sites, we have seen community members who were previously dependent on relief aid and free handouts mobilizing themselves into functional groups to do something about their socio-economic situation,” he recounted.

He also added that the assembly and local leaders were pleased with ASAP’s community mobilization and development approaches and strategies which emphasize on community empowerment and ownership.

Speaking on behalf of the ASAP Malawi team, Victor Katchika-Jere, ASAP Malawi Country Director, wished Jeanette all the best as she was leaving ASAP and all the success in her future endevors.
Pictured here is Victor presenting a gift to Jeanette as her smiling husband looks on.

“I, on behalf of the ASAP Malawi team and indeed on my own behalf, would like to congratulate you tonight on your unstinting and selfless service to ASAP. You were a hard working, friendly, collegial, smart, down to earth, and "one to learn from" individual. I can safely say "We" are proud of you and what you did for the organization and those it serves,” concluded Katchika-Jere.

In addition to speeches, the party had drinks, snacks and a disco to add colour and pomp to the occasion.

Jeanette, who was in the company of her husband, received curios as symbolic gifts from the ASAP Malawi team presented to her by Katchika-Jere. Pictured here is Jeanette acknowledging and showing off her presents.

One Name One Child Campaign

ASAP is happy to be a part of the Life and Help Foundation's new One Name One Child Campaign. This is nothing less than the biggest world internet charitable record
Add your name = you set a record + you save a child
To read more click here
To view ASAP's Bridge the Gap-Kufusa Mari Junior project, and other worthwhile initiatives to help children click here.

“Love” is Born in Malawi

The family of Lingstone Ganamba, ASAP Malawi´s Senior Field Officer was blessed with a bouncy baby girl, Chikondi, weighing 3.9 kg on Monday, May 18. Chikondi means “Love” in the local Chichewa language of Malawi.
According to the cultural practices and rituals observed by the Sena tribe of the Shire Valley, the name Chikondi was selected during a low key ceremony after a three week period. During this period the mother remained indoors and was not allowed to shake hands with others to avoid infecting the child.
Pictured here are Lingstone with his wife and their newly born child at their home in Chikwawa. ASAP Malawi management wishes Chikondi and her mother well.

Sharing Knowledge to Benefit Darfur

ASAP has been implementing the Internal Savings and Lending (ISL) methodology in Zimbabwe since 2001, since The McKnight Foundation funded our pilot project, locally known as "Kufusa Mari"- save for the future. Today funding partners include CARE, Catholic Relief Services and Plan International and over 25,000 families will gain increased household security through participation in ASAP's project.

In January 2009, when ASAP replicated our work to the Chikwawa area of Malawi, the first step was for project staff from Malawi to travel to Zimbabwe to gain first hand knowledge from ASAP's experienced staff. In July, ASAP Zimbabwe looks forward to hosting a delegation from Norwegian Church Aid-Darfur Program (NCA-DP). Through the expertise gained from ASAP Africa in Zimbabwe, the NCA-DP is build the income and food security of internally displaced persons in the South and West Darfur region.
To read more about the Kufusa Mari ISL project please click here.

Champions of Quality Education in Africa

ASAP's "Bridge the Gap - Kufusa Mari Junior" project has been declared the winner of the Early Entry Prize for the "Champions of Quality Education in Africa" collaborative competition, sponsored by ASHOKA. To read more about this winning project please click here.

A poem recited by Providence Simbarashe Majaha

MUKANDO

You people like me in Zimbabwe
I am encouraging you to work very hard
In order to produce enough food for your families
ASAP has introduced better methods of living
“Mukando” where people gather and plan their future
“Mukando” where people learn how to calculate interest.

ASAP has done its duty
Let’s play our duty too
Our local authorities, my fellow people
Let us join hands and have a better life
Let’s develop our country
Zimbabwe is our country
ASAP has introduced “Mukando”
So let’s come and join hands through “Mukando”.

You rural people
“Mukando” is waiting for you
There is room for everyone
God bless you
Thank you

A poem recited by Providence Simbarashe Majaha at the official launch of the Kufusa Mari Mutasa project 21 April 2009. Simbarashe belongs to an ISAL club at Sanyamandwe cluster. He joined the programme in October 2009 together with his mother, two sisters and two other children.

Community empowerment for sustainability through Cluster Facilitator training

by Collins Mutsvairo
ASAP has been improving the household and food security for rural families in Zimbabwe through the Internal Savings and Lending (ISAL) methodology since 2001. In each of these villages the community selects a leader, or Cluster Facilitator (CF). CFs work closely with ASAP field staff and attends supplementary training sessions offered by ASAP. It is her responsibility and privilege, as the community’s chosen representative, to share information and skills with her community during regular savings club sessions. In this way, skills and knowledge cascade throughout remote communities, reaching most villagers in a very cost effective manner.
A total of 80 CFs received additional training in the ISAL methodology in Nyanga in April under ASAP’s Rural Micro Finance project – a 5 year project partnership with CARE International funded through the Swedish International Development Agency. The CFs are ASAP’s link persons who coordinate project activities at cluster level in the communities.
The training focused on empowering the CFs on the five ISAL modules that include Member selection, Group formation, Constitution, Fund Development and Record Keeping, The workshop was facilitated by ASAP field officers headed by Joseph Miti.
Lovemore Manjoro, one of ASAP's field staff members in Mutasa is facilitating the module on Record keeping in the above picture.The CFs also discussed other issues that effect lives in their villages each and every day, including Gender based Violence, Cholera, HIV Aids, Inheritance, Child Rights and Child Abuse. In this way they are able to facilitate such discussions in their communities after the workshops. Pictured above, some participants present a drama to raise awareness of child abuse issues. Pictured here, Mrs. B Chikumba of Old Murapa cluster in Mutasa is presenting her work-group's discussions on cholera.

Care International technical specialist Ernest Musinamwana graced the occasion at the same time taking notes to enable CARE Zimbabwe to finalize the "Official" CF training manual. The fact that ASAP was chosen by CARE to enable them to finalize the Manual exemplifies the respect and fine reputation that ASAP Zimbabwe has earned by successfully improving the income and security of over 25,000 clients in Eastern Zimbabwe through various ISAL projects.

New Partnership with TLC in Malawi

ASAP Africa in Malawi is proud to announce their new project partnership with Total Land Care (TLC) in Malawi. The project will "facilitate effective collaboration between TLC and ASAP towards the shared objective of helping the economically vulnerable smallholder farmers in Chikwawa, Blantyre and other districts of Malawi to improve their food security, nutrition and income status by engaging in sustainable agriculture practices, production of high value crops using appropriate irrigation technologies and managing a village savings and loan scheme."

Since ASAP's arrival in Malawi in 2008, there has been synergy between the two like-minded organizations. The signing of this agreement marks the "official" beginning of what promises to be a long-term mutually beneficial partnership. ASAP is grateful to the helpful, encouraging and supportive attitude of the TLC team during ASAP's challenging start up period.

To read more about Total Land Care Click Here

Harvest of Hope

Irene Dunlap, co-author of best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul books for kids and preteens, contacted ASAP last year and expressed interest in our work in Zimbabwe. She made a generous contribution and mentioned that she was planning to hold a fund raiser in the Spring. At that time we had no idea what this meant.

ASAP Africa is delighted and honored that the upcoming Harvest of Hope Home and Garden Fundraising Event to Help the Hungry, will benefit ASAP's work. The event will be held May 15th and 16th in Newport Beach California.

We now know that Irene Dunlap not only writes inspirational books, but truly lives an inspiring life. For more information about the event Click here

Zimbabweans Seeking Asylum in South Africa Expected to Increase

According to a recent IRIN article, the number of Zimbabweans fleeing economic collapse in the country, numbers so high they are usually associated with a country at war, is expected to continue to increase under the new unity government.

"The nature of Zimbabwean migration makes it difficult to determine the numbers involved, and estimates range from one million to more than three million people, a figure further complicated by those criss-crossing the border for a variety of reasons, but despite the numbers involved, South Africa has leaned towards accepting rather than preventing migration.

According to the Refugee Act, if someone is inside the country seeking asylum, regardless of how they got into the country they cannot be deported and they can apply for documentation. South Africa acts contrary to its own Act."

To read the entire article Click here

Kufusa Mari Project Launched in Mutasa District

By Regai Tsunga
Tuesday was a day of celebration in the Mutasa District of Eastern Zimbabwe, as the ASAP Africa Zimbabwe team finally launched the ISL project. Over ninety women and children were presented with certificates recognizing their achievement and proficiency in managing internal savings and lending activities.The launch came almost one year after the signing of the project agreement by Plan International and ASAP. During the three-year project partnership ASAP will improve the household security and income for over 2000 individuals mostly women and children through providing training in the internal savings and lending methodology. This delay was caused by the unilateral ban of NGO operations by the Government of Zimbabwe in 2008 following the disputed “harmonized” national elections. The ban was only lifted in September 2008 at which time programming also resumed. The day was marked with testimonies by Kufusa Mari participants showcasing products, demonstrating how the project was making a difference in their lives through the use of drama, and encouraging others to participate. Mrs. Portia Chitendeni explains: ”We are three in our club and in October last year we borrowed zwd 90,000 from the project. If was not easy because we were grappling with inflation, but we managed to buy 6 kgs of sugar that we exchanged with three buckets of maize. We sold them at 600 Rand and we changed 50 rands for us to return the zwd 90,000 we had borrowed. We sent someone o South Africa to buy some blankets and from there up to date we are buying and selling property. We never lack anything to eat or school fees for our children and our husbands are really supportive of this project. Kufusa Mari Project has really changed our lives.” Pictured here, Headman Sanyamandwe addresses the crowd that gathered at Pafiwa School for the celebration. Government officials from various ministries were present in support of the launch and these included officers from the Ministries of Women Affairs, Education, Local Government, Youth, Agriculture, Social Welfare and Health. ASAP' Country Director, Regai Tsunga (purple tie) hosted the Program Support Manager from Plan International, Dr Batholomew Mupeta and a team of other Plan staff that included the Resource Mobilization Manager, Mr Makoni and the Mutasa Program Unit Manager, Mr Stanley Dawa. Dr Mupeta expressed profound satisfaction at the progress the project was making and looked forward to increased cooperation between his organization and ASAP. He encouraged the Mutasa community to participate in this community managed micro finance project and improve the quality of their lives. Mr. Tsunga recognized the hard work and achievement of ASAP's Kufusa Mari field team, a group of talented professionals headed up by Joseph Miti (on the right) in Zimbabwe, as they enjoy the day and participate in the celebrations. Tsunga also expressed joy that the project was progressing well despite the previous challenges relating to the NGO ban, political polarization, restrictive and counterproductive national monetary policies and the hyper-inflation. He said the use of multiple currencies notably the USD and Rand following the suspension of Zimbabwe dollar as official tender will result in enhanced project impact.

The Big Read

Next week, April 20-26, is Global Action Week. The Global Campaign for Education is asksing individuals and communities to read a story and sign a petition on behalf of the millions of people worldwide who cannot read or go to school. On June 16, the Big Read book and collection of petition signatures will be delivered to President Obama. Click here to go to The Big Read to learn more about joining this effort.

ASAP’s BTG Project Contributes to Ministry of Education 100 DAY TARGET

by Regai Tsunga
In Zimbabwe the Ministry of Education, under the new inclusive unity government, has identified provision of text books as a top priority. A 100 day target has been set to reduce the student to text book ration to 1:3 to allow for meaningful use by pupils. For some schools, the textbook to pupil ratio had gone up to 1:40. In such a situation the children sit in threes with the one at the center having the book directly in front while the other two flank the child at the center and read from either side.ASAP is happy to be contributing to this target again this year through the Bridge the Gap Math teacher training project, which is already making a difference at Grade 7 level by providing Math revision materials for pupils in 2009. Previously, through a Rotary sponsored a literacy book drive, by working together, the Peachtree City Rotary Club, along with the Fayette Daybreak, Fayetteville & Borrowdale Brooke (Harare) Rotary Clubs, ASAP was able to provide two 20 foot shipping containers of gently used reading and text books to improve the situation in the BTG schools.

ASAP was honored by a recent visit by the Provincial Education Director for Manicaland, Mr. Peter Muzawazi. During discussions, he informed ASAP’s Bridge the Gap Project Manager, Collins Mutsvairo (center), of the new initiative.From a textbook survey conducted by the Ministry in the province, the text book situation in most schools had deteriorated to unprecedented proportions. After the teacher, the textbook is regarded as the next most important and indispensable resource for effective teaching and learning.

Small World Indeed

Tom Arsenault, ASAP's President, enjoyed sharing information about ASAP's program last week-end on a spectacularly beautiful spring day on the riverfront in Savannah GA.

Michelle Riley, from the Freeplay Foundation happened to stop by ASAP's information booth. Michelle is the only US staff member of this Foundation, which is based in South Africa and the UK. ASAP provided Freeplay's hand cranked radios to rural schools in Zimbabwe for years. The majority of rural schools where ASAP works do not have electricity, so with Freeplay radios, schools could access educational programming as well as short wave broadcasts which were not subject to government controls.

There are no coincidences and we look forward to building on the synergy between Freeplay and ASAP as we work to improve the daily lives of the rural poor in Africa.

Savings Brings Smiles

By Regai Tsunga
It is once again all smiles as these ladies from Sherukuru Village in Mutasa go through their routine savings and lending Session. These pictures, taken by Collins Mutsvairo today, show that saving in USD has brought much joy and relief to ASAP’s VSL groups. The value of savings is now guaranteed and the prospects for handsome returns on their investments are huge. Click here to read more about ASAP's VSL project.
Having seen all their savings in Zimbabwe dollars eroded and made worthless manure by the rampaging inflation, it was all gloom and doom for the otherwise enterprising rural women. The dollarisation of the Zimbabwe economy has resulted in the virtual condemnation of the local currency as all goods and services are now sold in the stable USD, South African Rand and the Botswana Pula.

ASAP Field Officers continue to maintain high visibility within the communities to instill confidence given the previous recent negative experiences with the Zimbabwe Dollar.

ASAP Africa Spring Newsletter

We are delighted to share our spring newsletter with you today.
Click here to learn about all the new activities going on at ASAP in Malawi and Zimbabwe.

We welcome your questions & comments and appreciate your interest & support.