text: Report for Aug 2008 from Just Children Foundation - Zimbabwe
  In the past month we have seen such an unprecedented increase in prices of all commodities even in US dollar terms. There just seems to be no end to the madness in Zimbabwe. Most commodities and services are now being quoted in US dollars or the South African Rand but are proving to be so expensive. The reason why this has come about is because we are being limited by the Reserve Bank on the amounts we can withdraw from the bank on a daily basis and the amount is not enough to buy anything meaningful, we can withdraw the equivalent of US$2 a day. For an organisation like ours there is nothing you can buy with that amount. Most companies we are dealing with are demanding cash. We are in a very difficult situation. Please keep praying for us and that the perfect will of God is established in our great nation.
  Clara is still in Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare where she is undergoing treatment as a result of some complications with her health. Clara has been diagnosed with a rare stomach cancer. Relatives of Clara's mother helped us to establish the whereabouts of her father. We were able to locate her father and he is currently spending time with her in hospital. Clara's mother who has a mental problem, was separated from Clara somewhere in Harare in unclear circumstances. We are still trying to establish her whereabouts.
  A number of children were reunited with their families this month. We praise the Lord for making a way for us to be able to place the children back to their families. Some of the cases have been unresolved for as long as 8 years and we didn't think we would be able to locate the relatives of these children. The children reunited with their relatives are:
  Spencer – left in the custody of his grandparents in Zvimba. He had been with us at JCF for 5 years.
  Faith Goremusandu was reunited with his father in Zvimba after having been separated from him for over 7 years. He left home with his late mother when he was barely 1 year old and was then placed at Come Unto Me Centre. Whenever prayer meetings were held with the children Faith was always praying for reunification with his father. We are so humbled that God answered his dream resulting in the father traveling from Zvimba to Karoi in search of him.
  Kudzai Gombe taken in by his uncle, his father's older brother also in Zvimba
  Jackson Gukuta was taken home for the holidays to be with his family after 8 years at JCF. The family would like for him to come back home so we are currently working on reuniting him with his family.
  The outreach team was able to visit some of the children we have reunited with their families. In particular they visited Obey and Tambudzai Nyamadzawo at Buffalo Downs, Karoi. The children are now in the custody of their father after their mother passed on to the Lord. They are doing quite well but regular visits are necessary to check on them.
  The children in Harare were able to attend the annual Harare Agricultural Show. We thank the organizers for availing tickets for our children to attend this annual showcase. The children had a wonderful day during this outing.
  Some of our older children in Karoi were able to go for a camp with other children from the community of Karoi. The children had a wonderful time at the camp and the feedback we had from the camp organizers was very positive. The children exhibited a high quality of leadership and stood out from the rest of the children. They led in devotions and other activities at the camp. We are very proud of our children.
  During these school holidays we arranged for the children to have extra lessons. We contracted specialized teachers from nearby schools to help them catch up with their school work, since regular school activities have been disrupted by strikes on the part of the teachers.
  An outreach was done for children living on the streets to find out why children are still living on the streets and find out their experiences on the streets. The team went to Market Square, Railway Line, Africa Unity Square and Eastgate shopping centre. These places are in and around the CBD of Harare. We were able to establish that during the day the children spend a great deal of time in the city streets searching for food. It was not easy to get information from the children and the team was even threatened by the older boys who thought the team was out to forcibly remove them from the streets. The reason why some of the children left home is because of abuse especially from step parents and some are orphaned and have no one to look after them. The girls who shared that they had been abused refused to share what kind of abuse they faced at home.
  The children are not in a better situation on the streets as they are facing starvation due to the harsh economic climate. Some have become street hawkers but this has not proved to work for them because so few people have any disposable income due to the paltry maximum cash withdrawal limits in the banks. So even they are forced to beg in order to survive.
  Follow ups will be done soon especially at night to really establish how many children are on the streets of Harare. During the day it is impossible to ascertain their numbers due to the reasons already noted above.
  On Friday the 29th of August we were in Karoi with all the children just to celebrate with all the children who were not able to come to Harare for our 10th Anniversary celebrations. We had such a wonderful time with all the children and we all testify of the Lord's goodness in providing everything that was needed on that day.
  Our receptionist at Shelter of Joy (Headquarters), Priviledge Muronda lost her father on the 15th of August. He had been sick for sometime in hospital. Please remember her in your prayers as most of you know how difficult it is to come to terms with the death of loved one especially a parent.
  On a more happier note, our Friends and Public Relations Officer, Sharon got married on the 16th of August. She had her wedding at a local restaurant in Harare. She got married to Bruce Marunza. Not many of us were able to attend the wedding but those who went had a wonderful day. Please also pray for them as they start their life together.
  In the month of August God overwhelmed us with his goodness and generosity. We would like to thank the following who were mightly used by God to be a blessing to the Ministry:
  Mrs. Ndudzo
  Mrs. S. Okoro
  Soroptimists International, Harare
  Miranda Vian-Rodrigues
  We had a friend called Chido Govera at Come Unto Me Centre, where she has been working with the children teaching them to make duvets and sheets for all the children at the centre. We thank God for this young lady who is also going to be working on a mushroom growing project with the children and staff at the Centre.