I've been in Zimbabwe for the last 3 weeks, what a cluster****

When they cut out the Internet, bad stuff is happening.

ewn.co.za...

originally posted by: FinallyAwake

originally posted by: surfer_soul
a reply to: FinallyAwake

I always wondered why Mugabe was left alone all those years while the UN went after lesser despots. I can’t help feeling he had the backing of a greater power and certainly not a benevolent one.

I don't (but should) know enough about it to comment, but it sounds like you have a good point. It's so corrupt over here 😕

You are doing all that you are able and that is all we can ask of any of us, except now there are GoFundMe opportunities.

I ask my buddy who's a " Zimbo" (Zimbawean - sorry not politically correct).

The line for bread is from here to Tygervalley.

That's pretty far.

And the Internet?
No, they cut off the Internet.
ewn.co.za...

I wish I could control the world.

a reply to: surfer_soul

Mugabe was given over $3billion by America.
zw.usembassy.gov...
Then more by the UK, and the UN. The UN threatened to invade Rhodesia if they didn't hand over power to ZANU.
The west , as well as China supported Mugabe.

originally posted by: oriondc
That’s great and all, but has anyone considered teaching the people who live there how to maintain the water systems? None of those 3 million are capable enough? Maybe they need help getting the supplies, but having one person (or a small group) do everything isn’t wise.

Hi, thanks for your reply and good question.

Due to 90%+ unemployment, people are forced to move around the country or even migrate, just to survive, and many die doing this.
Therefore we can't rely properly on those he has taught over the many years.
Also changing filters is the smallest and easiest part of our work. My friend who started the charity is a water and medical technologist, and our biggest task is actually removing the diseases from the water (the filters just strain it down) He has trained many people over the last 30 years, but as I said above, people either die young or are forced to move away, so wet cannot rely on them 😢

originally posted by: SocratesJohnson
I will be that guy

Why doesn’t the 78 year old teach others to do the work he does?

Does he need this to keep him alive?

Can he not find people capable to do what he does

Is it a combination of the two?

Hi, thanks for the valid question. I just replied to oriondc who had the same question (above), I hope it will suffice for you too.

originally posted by: fakedirt
a reply to: FinallyAwake

thank you fa.

it seems the country's abundant natural resources/economic model are out of kilter.
would I be correct in saying
these resources are being diverted away from the nations purse?

is this a western foothold or further afield?

f.

Hi thanks for your post and good question 👍🏻

To answer your question, the answer is further afield. Notably the Chinese who have taken a vast amount of minerals in exchange for inferior goods. Basically the Chinese screwed the country over with regards to this

originally posted by: NightSkyeB4Dawn
a reply to: FinallyAwake

Our trust and complacency is going to be our downfall.

The, "it could never happen to me", belief is deadly.

It is happening all around us. You don't have to look that far. The first waves of a tsunami are gentle and interesting. The next are mesmerizing. They are just the precursors to the final wave.

You are absolutely right, not many purple realise this, but the UK could easily end up being like Zimbabwe if the Brexit nonsense goes south. I really liked your tsunami analogy 👍🏻👍🏻

originally posted by: toms54
a reply to: FinallyAwake

Keep up the good work.
Next year they probably will kill you.

Lmao 🤣 this cracked me up 👍🏻

And you're probably right 😐

originally posted by: iplay1up2
a reply to: FinallyAwake


Wow, you are awesome! It must be really hard, to go to a place so cut off from everything. Many of us are so used to having so much stimulation at all times. You go with the intention of helping, and sacrifice a lot. Stay safe, and thanks for sharing.

Thank you for your kind words, yes it's pretty scary out here. You cannot even talk politics in public as there are undercover secret police everywhere, and some public places are bugged too 😕

originally posted by: NightSkyeB4Dawn
a reply to: iplay1up2

Zimbabwe is a country. All Zimbabweans don't live in the jungle in huts.

Poorly managed, corrupt governments are more prevalent then is reported.

Even during this event there are people and areas of Zimbabwe that are doing better than some areas in America.

Zimbabwe is just one country in the continent of Africa. It isn't comprised of all poor, illiterate, ignorant, helpless, backward folk.

If there are places here in Zimbabwe that are better than America, then I feel sorry for the Americans 😕

Dbl post soz

originally posted by: JBurns
a reply to: FinallyAwake

That is very kind of you FinallyAwake. Small charity, big charity... what matters is your hearts are in the right place. Always great to see private Citizens and charities lending a helping hand

Hope you get the exposure you are looking for

Thank you very much, the exposure is also thanks to all of you who have replied and flagged. Thank you all 👍🏻

originally posted by: halfoldman
In one day of this month (January 2019) 130 000 Zimbabweans have crossed the border into South Africa alone.
citizen.co.za...

That is in daily addition to 5 million already here (conservatively counted), competing for scarce resources, since former President Mbeki's "quiet diplomacy", and effectively opening the border to take pressure off former Pres. Mugabe.
Personally I've grown very fond of Zimbabweans for over a decade.
They are are very well educated and spoken, with a great work ethic.
But unfortunately there are criminal gangs, and those involved in farm murders, and we're a drought stricken country (except for a narrow green coastal belt), with limited resources.
And we've already seen violent xenophobia from the local black population against foreigners since 2008.
This doesn't bode well for an already tense local situation.

What this means to us South Africans is daunting, in an already daunting "cluster-doo doo" of our own.

God help white South Africans is all I can say.
I simply don't have the energy anymore to say more.

Thank you so much for your post, you said it better than I could 👍🏻👍🏻

originally posted by: halfoldman
Just wondering, there's a humanitarian crisis on South Africa's borders.

People ask me, are there United Nations tents, or refugee/transit camps?

Nope.

But then where do all the millions of Zimbabwean refugees go, once in SA?

Some have families here, but yeah, a good question.

Suffice to say the crisis is big enough to warrant outright UN intervention.

You are absolutely right, tbh 'any' (good) intervention is desparately needed.

originally posted by: halfoldman
You know if there's not some kind of global or local policy change very fast, people are going to start starving.

Yes you are absolutely right, but people are already starving. There are children as young as 5 approaching cars (in the middle of crazy traffic with no traffic lights working) putting their hands to their mouths asking for food, it is utterly heartbreaking 😢

originally posted by: surfer_soul
a reply to: FinallyAwake

I always wondered why Mugabe was left alone all those years while the UN went after lesser despots. I can’t help feeling he had the backing of a greater power and certainly not a benevolent one.

It's not like it could be same people that own the western media...

originally posted by: JourneymanWelder
I fear all your hard work is in vein. If you or him fall ill, there is nobody to replace the filters and they are back to dirty water.

You are right, unfortunately that's just a fact of life 😞
However he's gone 30 years on his own without missing a single year (he's an absolute workhorse), and this is my 3rd year with him, so I can start taking over. 👍🏻

a reply to: JourneymanWelder

Africa would be a "safe" test bed for allowing the UN's Agenda 21 to seemingly, naturally, occur nation by nation as humanity fails itself.