NEWS FROM ZIMBABWE

In Britain, If we pay our stamps then most of us will receive a state pension. For Mercy, living in a high density housing area in the capital of Zimbabwe, Harare life is not like that. Her husband died many years ago and she bought up their three children on her own, whilst still working full time. There was never any money left over to save, so now she has no money on which to live in her retirement. Getting a job might be an answer as she speaks Shona, English and Ndebele but that is not easy in a country where unemployment is over ninety percent. So today she keeps herself active with Church administration and work with the local community. Other people sell what little they can at crossroads and in markets to make a few dollars.

To live, Mercy relies on money from her children.  However, last month they did not approve of how she spent this money and so they stopped it. Mercy laughed as she explained that she often uses the money they give her to buy presents for her grandchildren and children. Imagine being so beholden to your offspring that you don’t know when they will decide to start the payments again. She seemed to take it in her stride; “The Lord will provide for me,” she said.

She is now behind with the rent and water bills. Her electricity is free because one of her sons works for the company. “You can come and bake as many cakes as you like in my oven, she said, “Just bring all the ingredients and take home the washing up.” 

Happily this state of affairs has now ended and Mercy is again receiving money. She is typical of many elderly people who find themselves without work and therefore no income. It is only with the help of family that they can survive. With no care homes families usually care for parents at home. However this often means leaving them on their own all day and lacking basic hygiene. This contributes to the low life expectancy of 34 years for women and 36 years for men. With a whole middle generation lost to violence, poverty and AIDS one wonders how communities will cope in the future.

But Mercy continues to get the most out of life, changing from a recent present of a new pair of tights into an old pair, she heads for a ‘Kitchen Party.’ She and a friend are off to give marriage advice to a bride to be, a week before her wedding.  Now that is an interesting idea!!!

On another issue, as poverty is so bad in Zimbabwe students sometimes resort to prostitution to survive, says a new booklet by Christian Aid partner the Student Christian Movement of Zimbabwe. SCMZ is publishing the booklet in a move to speak openly and freely about what Zimbabwe’s young people have experienced during the last decade of the country’s decline. It contains stories of students struggling through their studies on a meagre budget, which will be mentioned in future editions of Stories for Change.

From Commitment for Life May Stories for Change, no 53

PRAYER FOR OUR URC CHURCHES

Our Wessex Synod has produced a book of prayers for each church in the Synod. We are asked to remember two or three of them every Sunday this year. The following churches in our area are among those to remember in June and July.

The Church at Totton says: As the moon affects the daily movements of the tides, which in turn very gracefully but often with immense visible power wash over and shape our land, so Lord may your love daily wash over us and visibly shape our ministry here at Trinity to your glory.