Zimbabwe update

I thought I would include Dennis's latest email to me just in case anyone out there has a lead or contact who would help in obtaining some of the medicines or medical supplies Dennis needs.

Hi Ade,

Got the money from Hylton. Terrific. Re medicines. Asthma inhalers, Ibuprophin (need alot), tylenol, anti fungal creams, anti-histimine eye drops, scabies shampoo and/or lotions.For sports related injuries need bandaids, rubber gloves, ace bandages, anti-bacterial ointment, hand sanitizer would be great for all the kids. Also, I am coming back to the states the week of May 10th. I am making all the necessary arrangements here to make sure the food deliveries are kept up as well as keeping the programs we have in place going and growing. Dr. Sashka Macsimovic will continue monthly visits. Daily home visits are being conducted to make sure we have all the correct info on the kids situations and to keep aprised of any needs. My website is being re-constructed by a Zimbabwean living in Toronto who is an orphan as well. He saw the video and wrote offering his services. When I return I need to find a good truck as mine died. Am using friend’s vehicles now. They will continue the deliveries in my absence. Zimkids is now a registered Trust in Zimbabwe and am working on getting a Forex bank account opened so that funds can be wired directly into the account. (Which is a mighty complicated task!) Formerly it was unreliable as the Federal Reserve just took the money andspent it on Mercedes cars and never returned it but now things seem to be secure.Life here is returning to some normality. With everything being run in Rand or Dollars there are many more cars on the road, Potholes are getting fixed, traffic lights are beginning to be restored but the vast majority of people have little access to foreign currency especially in the rural areas and especially my grandmothers who have no source of income. So it’s still quite tough for them. We tested all the caregivers for blood pressure and out of 100 only 2 had normal blood pressure. The rest had sky high pressure. Will be testing them periodically to get a baseline and then prescribe meds. Need to keep them healthy for the kids sake. Also we requested that all the mothers get HIV tests if they haven’t already. Then Sashka will test the children of those mothers who are HIV+.So we are getting a handle on things here while making sure food is on the table. Also bought 5 volleyballs/soccer/netball. Had 85 kids playing ball over the weekend. Many organizations don’t include regular “fun” things for the kids to do. They mainly concentrate on dramas about poverty, rape, AIDS, and death and the kids act it out. It’s a bit much. I find it so antithetical to being a child and think education can occur with positive activities interspersed with a message. for example, when a kid injures himself playing ball we make a point of gathering them together showing them we need to put on rubber gloves, how to protect from AIDS and use the opportunity for educating them. Anyway, I do go on!Got to run. Be well. Let me know if you need more info.

Best to you,

Dennis.

Carpe Diem.