SOAP BULAWAYO
UPDATE RECEIVED FROM LOUISE CAMPBELL
MAY 2017
I hope you are all well. We soldier on!! Still waiting with baited breath to see what they do when the few US$ that are left run out!!
Supply food parcels to 120 pensioners. Each parcel costs around US$90
They supply to the following homes:
Coronation Cottages, Garden Park,and Kinghaven in Esigodini
They also supply to people living in homes, cottages or in the servants quarters in and around Bulawayo. These houses are mostly derelict with cardboard for some window panes, leaking roofs and broken strip flooring. Two of the homes in the suburbs house three families each.
Louise Campbell co-ordinates the sourcing, packing and organising of the parcels. The parcels are delivered by 4 volunteers each month
Each parcel contains:
Four, Rice, Pasta, Sugar, Tea, Cereal, Milk Powder, 2 Tins Baked Beans, 2 Tins Spaghetti, 1 Tin Fruit, 1 Tin Veg, 1 Tin Tomatoes, 1 Tin Of Jam, Sweets, Biscuits, 3 Packets Soup, Cool drink, Flour, Mielie Meal, Jelly, Salt, Cooking Oil, Laundry Soap, Bath Soap, Toilet Paper, Dishwasher. Toothpaste, 2 minute noodles and Usavi mix.
Each month they will get one of the following items: Handy Andy, Vim, Domestos.
We delivered all our parcels a week early last month, so that we could all enjoy our long Easter break. We always ask our recipients to be present on delivery day so that we know that their parcel is received by the person for whom it is intended, and so they also may have the opportunity of spending Easter with family or good friends. It does not always work out that our recipients are there to receive their own parcels, but if it happens that they are not able to receive two parcels, we suspend delivery until they contact s to explain.
Delivery has not been much different from usual. Dani, our pyjama lady was very happy as she had spent her birthday in Harare with her grandchildren who had come over from Australia. Every month she promises me she will be dressed by the time I arrive and every month she makes me the same promise!!
Unfortunately one of last deliveries is Christina who suffers from dreadful depression and we always feel sad after seeing her. She has two sons, one overseas and one in Bulawayo, and she has not seen the Bulawayo son for years now. She sometimes put her pride aside and phones him, but he still does not visit her. Doesn’t make you feel good when you can’t fix things for these old people in their last days, but some things are beyond our control.
We were able to include four marshmallow easter eggs for each of our oldies this month. One of our old guys that I saw in the street was very happy with that little inclusion.
We have a parcel which we call a ‘Partial’. It is for those who live in facilities where they receive their meals. The partials contain soap, toothpaste, bath soap, laundry soap, biscuits, sweets and cool drink. Roley receives one of these parcels – he lives at Ralstein House. He received a S O A P parcel when he was living at Coronation Cottages and that is the reason he now receives a partial parcel. He tells me that he has acquired an old microwave oven, and he makes bread pudding and all his friends love to have bread pudding every now and again. He says they are given two slices of bread per day, so those who wish to have pudding have to save one slice. When they have 10 slices they can make the pudding. He makes those who work supply him with the egg he needs to make his bread pudding!! It is quite interesting to listen to how their world turns!!
I am attaching the invoice from Fortwell Wholesalers for the groceries they supplied last month. From that you will get an idea of what things cost here even though not everything that goes in the parcel is on that order. We don’t always get our full order. We no longer supply any fresh veg as this was costing us $600.00 a month which is just too much money. We are lucky that farmers here still give perishables to the old age homes, so they do receive eggs, milk and vegies – only the oldies in their own homes miss out on this.
I hope I haven’t forgotten anything!
We are forever grateful for all the work you put into getting us donations and to the Donors themselves for caring enough to help us with feeding our pensioners. It seems to be a never ending task and it would appear that no one here has pension policies these days – very sad because our pensioners receive NO Government benefits on retirement and our job will never be done at this rate. It would be a totally different story if our Government would recognise the very real need of the aged with regard to pensions and medical assistance.
Please convey our very sincere appreciation to all of you who help us tick!
Best regards
Louise
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