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My Perspective:
Zimbabwe moves from riches to rags

When Sister Laurette Sprosty went to Zimbabwe to minister in 1983 the people were riding the crest of hope. The Independence celebrated in 1980 promised a secondary education to anyone who wished to learn. Sister Laurette responded to a call by Catholic Teachers of Rural Zimbabwe and became a secondary school teacher. Today Zimbabwe is a different country.

In the past 23 years Sister Laurette has served in various ministries, responding to the needs of the people. She taught at a Catholic teacher training college, provided staff development for the Catholic Bishop's Conference, worked in community development with orphans, and is currently providing training for postulants of the Franciscan Friars. Through these years she has witnessed the tragic transformation of Zimbabwe.

As the systems that provided sustainability for the people of Zimbabwe have been dismantled, people's lives have become increasingly desperate. Sister Laurette notes, "The majority of the population have lost the vibrancy, hope for the future and their feeling that anything is possible if one works hard enough, that was present in Zimbabwe at Independence."

It is uncertain how much longer Sister Laurette will continue her ministry in Zimbabwe, but she says that what is more important is that "we continue to minister within the context of diversity, to help affect in some small way an understanding and acceptance of the one-ness of the human family within all its diversity."

Sister Laurette Sprosty holds a woodcarving that depicts a woman from Zimbabwe as she cooks the daily meal. The carving is part of a set of figures that depict the daily life of women in Zimbabwe. Sister Laurette commissioned the carvings from a local subsistence farmer.

She expresses the same idea with a phrase from a proverb of a Zimbabwe tribe, the Shona. "When rebuking each other we should always remember that ultimately we are brothers and sisters-and nothing can change that."

The following texts relay some of the joys and pain she has experienced in her ministry. They are excerpted from letters Sister Laurette sent in recent years.

Dear Family, Friends and My Sisters
Jan. 30, 2002
The uncertainties and violence in our beautiful country intensify as the election dates of 9-10 March draw nearer. The ruling party has the strange idea that they can bash people into voting for them. I suppose it just could work, especially for the rural areas where they are getting only government controlled news in so many areas.

And it could happen that many folk favoring the opposition will be afraid to go to the polls for fear of retaliation. At the last elections they were told that there were cameras in the polling station that could record who they voted for!

March 3, 2002
Another bit of news-I made a very hasty move to my new location in order to accommodate a white farmer who was given until the 28th to get off his farm "or else." I found out that he was looking for a place on Tuesday and moved out on Wednesday with everyone around putting things quickly into boxes. You can imagine the unpacking process!!! But it's over and it feels good to have accommodated at least one of the thousands of displaced persons--mostly the farm laborers.

Thanks be to God. One of the garages finally found replacements for my two front wheels which were stolen three weeks ago-to the tune of $42,000 Zimbabwe dollars (ZWD)! Six guys caught for stealing tires in our area were fined $1000 ZWD each, but not jailed "because the prisons do not have enough food to feed many more prisoners." It is estimated that at least 500,000 people are starving or seriously malnourished in our country just now. Please God, after elections, let food start pouring in for everyone, not just for a favored few.

I promised someone, I forgot who, to check out the size of Africa compared to other countries. Here it is: China, USA, India, Europe, Argentina and New Zealand together comprise 11,668,035 square miles; Africa has 11,706,166 square miles! We are a huge continent with huge challenges!

Nov. 19, 2002
The economy has slipped a lot even in the last couple of weeks. Gas prices should go up 500% if it is to be sold at cost. There is no way that our government which is broke-over $250 billion in debt-can continue to subsidize the price.

But the foreign currency situation is of advantage to us and our orphan project-from an exchange rate of $600 ZWD to $1 USD to the present $1700 ZWD to $1 USD. So, with the money gotten from parishes, friends and family when I was home, we now have enough money to make the down payment--2/3 of the total--to begin building our three classrooms, a resource center and office space this week. We are all so excited. It will be steel frame building which is cheaper and faster.

And another fun thing. Sandy, with the extra money that you gave me I bought a toothbrush for each child. I developed a little unit on tooth care for the teachers, part of which is a visit to the local dentist. When making arrangements the dentist queried: "Why only a visit? Bring them in on my free afternoon-Wednesdays-and I will give each one a free check-up." There are lots of generous folks in the world yet. Another example is the doctor in Cedar Rapids who did my colonoscopy exam for free when he found out where I was going and what I am doing.

The carved figure shows a typical woman of Zimbabwe carrying firewood on her head and her child on her back. According to Sister Laurette, women commonly also knit as they walk.

Dec. 15, 2002
Greetings to you. It is difficult to write of the happenings in Zimbabwe during this beautiful season of joy and hope, though the Scriptures do describe our longings well. Perhaps for me the most meaningful aspect of Christmas this year is just knowing that God has chosen to be one of us even in our worst case scenarios--which Zimbabwe seems to be. Perhaps the message for us is that the Christ comes into our own communities only when enough of us say our "yes."

If you can bear with me I will give you some of the latest developments. Last month it was made a requirement that all youth wishing to go for post-secondary education must first go for national service; or one might call it national brainwashing and training in intimidation of others. Last week several hundred women in Bulawayo demonstrated in protest (three cheers) because so many of their daughters are being raped in those camps-and here rape usually means AIDS.

But the saddest and most evil situation continues to be the food shortage. It is reaching the point that even if one has money to buy at the astronomical prices that we have, there is less and less on the shelves. (The minimum wage is about $8000 ZWD per month, the cost of three pounds of imported margarine. Local margarine and butter are not now available. One-and-a-half pounds of soap powder are $1975 ZWD.) The crisis is due, in part, to drought last year, but primarily it is due to the haphazard "land reform program" wherein less than half of the land commandeered from the white farmers is being cultivated.

Ours is a history lesson in the maxim that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Meanwhile life goes on and one sees even the little child sharing her prize of a cookie with a classmate who didn't do quite so well.

Many, many thanks to all of you who have helped us in so many ways. Throughout the country it is this one-on-one help that is saving and enhancing the lives of so many.

Now the last bit of wonderful news-Monday through Wednesday we received more rain, the first since 29 October. It has come just when the gardens, planted in every conceivable space, were wilting to the point of no return. What jubilation is around because everyone knows that these gardens are what may well stand between them and starvation. Pray with us that the rains see us through to harvest in May.

Feb. 13, 2003
Christmas here is quite low-key as far as liturgy and customs are concerned. However, the main focus is going to one's "root home" with gifts for a real family homecoming. And, of course, that bears deep meaning, too. However, many were not able to go home this year because of the very high bus fares and the shortage of fuel.

We have been having a lot of hot weather with a lack of rain. A lot of our crops are failing, so that does not bode well for our food situation for next year. But we did get rain last Sunday here in Harare-the one day that I decided to spend the day in the botanical gardens.

I had to walk home in a downpour. Just at the gate, a young man caught sight of me and said, "Oh my God!" I must have looked a sight, or else he never before saw a white person walking in the rain-and an elderly woman at that. When I laughed and said it feels good, he laughed and agreed.

May 2, 2003
On Good Friday I waited in line (for petrol) from 11:45 to 6:50 and few of us regulars received anything, myself included. Maybe the Lord was telling me that church services should have come first. But I thought the car hermitage situation of being bound to prayer and meditation might suffice!

Someone asked me why people don't demonstrate instead of just staying away from work. The reason is that laws have been made against such actions; police and military turn out in force at the slightest hint of such tactics, even when a group is able to jump all the hurdles and get the proper permissions.

So I will bring this to a close with some words about our orphans. I'm finding that I wish I had 90 grandmotherly arms rather than just the two that I have. These kids so crave affectionate hugs and attention.

Just yesterday Aisha had a big cry-out with one of the other tutors because Susan got to carry my box to the car instead of her, and she likes Sister Laurette just as much as Susan. Often I see this little Aisha sitting in class with tears streaming down her face. So I'm trying to get a place for her with the trauma counseling services. Earlier in the term, another student, Fides, gradually went into a semi-conscious state during math class, also with tears in her eyes. I took her to the clinic. They revived her with smelling salts. But when asked to sit up and walk she was bent over and shriveled up like many a 90-year-old person, hanging onto doors and walls and any support that was around, though the nurse counseled me not to help so that she could more quickly come back to reality. Her condition was diagnosed as trauma and the nurse said that weekly and even daily they are seeing kids come in such a state. There is just more death and difficult circumstances of all kinds than kids can cope with.

But the joys equal the sorrows. Last month we took the 48 orphans in a bus to the lion and cheetah park. They were dancing and singing in the aisles all the way there, except when we were going through the city center. There they stopped long enough to jump up onto the seats and "ooo" and "ah" at the tall buildings and all the traffic. And to their delight and ours, all the animals available turned out in all their grandeur, including ancient Jackson, the lion, and the huge Galapagos tortoise who is over 200 years old.

So life goes on with all its ups and downs. And I leave you with one of my favorite quotes for the Easter season: "Our spiritual quest is an exploration of our likeness to God-a case of mystery courting mystery." -John Kirvan.

P.S. And I finally got a full tank of petrol yesterday after staying in a queue for two nights and three days. I read two books and met some more wonderful folk.

Sister Laurette Sprosty with children in ZImbabwe in the 1990s

Sept. 25, 2003
I will be working more with organizing the network of religious groups and NGO's activity in our high-density area of Tafara-Mabvuku. The group is in process of organizing such activities as feeding schemes, coordination and training of volunteers, identifying destitute elderly and handicapped, and orphans no one is "picking up," especially those in child-headed households. The action groups have divided the township into 12 sections and are going out to identify who and where these persons are. For these they hope to set up a system where willing members of the community will check in on them regularly and give as much assistance as they can. In addition, they hope to set up an emergency fund to assist with critical needs. I initiated the idea in February, but it's a slow process getting about 26 different religious groups as diverse as Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Muslims to know each other and to work together, most without phones and some without buildings.

Feb. 11, 2004
If you are one of the 30% (in Zimbabwe) who still has a good job, life goes along quite normally if you don't mind queues and uncertainties. But for the majority, life is becoming nearly impossible and suicides are on the rise. Eighty-five percent are below the poverty line. Folks are quitting jobs because their transport to work is costing more than the pay they make and they can't afford the bank charges for processing their paychecks. Two-hundred-forty-nine companies have closed in the past year. We have been ranked 105 out of 133 for corruption.

One-hundred-twenty-five doctors have left the country because of poor pay, lack of supplies and inoperative machines. The remaining doctors and nurses are into their third month of strike. WHO (World Health Organization) has graded us last in regard to health institutions-and we used to rank second in Africa. School fees have risen from 200-2000%! No longer will we have the 80-90% literacy that we once had. Today, postage to the U.S. is going up to $7000 ZWD per letter. This is probably enough to give you an idea of the state of our once beautiful country-and the power of one person for good or evil! No wonder Archbishop Ncube (our Oscar Romero) has said, "My heart simply bleeds for my country."

Our care network of churches in Tafara-Mabvuku seems to be developing really well-one of the good things that have come out of this crisis. We know we have to stand together if we want to help the community in any meaningful way. But food is becoming by far the major concern as that situation continues to worsen. For Christmas, through donations from many of you and a top-up by Jesuit Aid and the Church of the Latter Day Saints' Mission, we were able to purchase and distribute maize to 15 of the neediest families in each zone-a total of about 780 individuals.

I wish you could have seen the joy of those church leaders working together to do the distribution!

Peace and all good to everyone.

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