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Providing relief to widows and orphans in Zimbabwe |
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PROJECT GECKO |
New geckos and ornaments have arrived! Click here for details and to read the updated Gecko Story |
 Chung Chow photo |
Children, along with 85% of adults in Zimbabwe, are starving or
at least struggling to exist. Zimbabwe has the highest number of
HIV/AIDS infections and homeless children in the world. At least 25%
of the adult population is HIV/AIDS positive therefore many children
have lost one or both of their parents and have been forced to live
on the streets or with overwhelmed grandparents. To our knowledge
there are no Government provided programs, shelters or help of any
kind. What was once the bread basket of Africa is now reduced to a
city with empty shops and no electricity for much of the day. It is
a day to day struggle for all except the wealthy elite. Very few
farms continue to produce. There are few farmers left to work them!
There is little to no foreign currency, so little money for imports.
Only the wealthy import goods, some for eating but most for selling
on the black market to gain more wealth.
Only those with determination and a resourceful spirit are managing.
Zimbabweans are an incredibly resourceful people, even the children.
The children who make these geckos for sale were doing well for a
while, but, now there are only occasional tourists to sell them to.
Susan Janetti has helped Zimbabweans with gifts of clothing and
money whenever she returns to her home town, always taking along
some candy as treats for the children too.
She was able to contribute through raising funds from her art work
but a year ago a friend of hers, John Milne, went to Africa and came
home with a story of two orphaned children he had come across in the
bush. The children were shabby and covered in sores. He asked them
what they were doing. Digging for earth worms – Their supper.
After hearing that story Susan realized more needed to be done but
it wasn’t until a family member came for a holiday to Canada
bringing along a wire gecko that she knew what to do. After hearing
the story of the street children making the geckos she asked “ Can
you send more?”
Jackie Neufeld, owner of Tiggy Winkles Art Studio at Crescent Beach.
B. C. Canada 604- 538-8916 offered to display them and receive the
donations for Susan as soon as they arrived. And thus “Project
Gecko” was born .
100 geckos arrived in May 2007 and they were soon snapped up. More
geckos were sent for but this time 600 articles arrived. Stars,
angles, bells, Christmas trees as well as the geckos. However they
arrived just 3 days before Christmas instead of 3 months before.
Now what? That question was soon answered. A friend, Trudy Beyak, a
journalist for the Abbotsford news came for a visit. She heard the
childrens story, was deeply touched and went home and wrote an
article. She forwarded the article to the Peace Arch News who
printed it. 3 days later all the ornaments were spoken for. Some
donated $10 a gecko (Minimum donation) others donated a $1000 and
didn’t want a gecko.
“The spirit of Christmas was still alive in January” and still is,
orders are still coming in.
People love to have a reminder of what they have been involved with.
It is important that we remember the children.
