Week 3: Zimbabwe

Colletta Zimbabwe Zimbabwe is a country in Africa. There is a lot of poverty there, mostly because of drought and fighting about land. Colletta lives in Chirumanzu, Zimbabwe. Caritas Gweru helps people in her area.

Zimbabwe is more than 10,000km from Australia

This is Colletta’s family. She cares for her mother, two sons and her late sister’s two daughters.

Colletta’s family lives here. [One room is for cooking and eating. The other room is for sleeping]?

Colletta keeps chickens in the yard. The washing up is left on a rack in the yard to dry.

Caritas Gweru gives hygiene training and hygienic toilets. The old toilets were very basic. Colletta says her family is healthier now.

For Colletta’s village, the garden is a place to grow community, as well as growing healthy vegetables. Extra vegetables are sold.

The villagers learn how to grow vegetables well. They also learn how to use herbs as medicine.

Caritas Gweru repairs water sources damaged in the fighting. The whole of Colletta’s village helped to repair their borehole. Colletta is part of the team that keeps it working.

Caritas Gweru also helps people to find reliable ways to earn an income. For example, helping families to breed and milk goats.

Others have learned to make peanut butter using this processor.

Caritas Gweru also trains volunteers to care for people in their own homes who are suffering from illnesses, like AIDS.

Colletta says, “Caritas has taught us that these projects belong to us... (this) ensures they’ll continue long after Caritas is gone.”

Picture credits Themba Madzvimbo