John's Kedesh News

Old Timers

John Wickes — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:46:04 GMT

For any of you old timers who might know some of my older boys who have come and gone, here is a little up date on a few of them.
Carlito is now married and his wife had a baby just in the last few days. His wife Anna just had their first a little girl the we don't know her name yet. I don't know exactly what happened but she did have a difficult delivery I think it was a C section they don't give out details here. Carlito works at a radiator company but wants to get a teaching certificate and be a teacher. He plans on leaving his present job and going to school. The owner of the company is a Zimbabwean many of the Mozambicans are being laid off and the Zimbos coming in since many of the companies that are here were originally in Zimbabwe. With the crash of Zimbabwe the main base is now here in Mozambique and bringing in all there workers that were in their Zim based companies.

Fernando as well is married and his wife Anna is not too far off from her second baby. The first is a little girl Fieza is 3 years old. Fernando works at a company called Tendas d Mozambique. He still does batiks and tie die stuff on the side and has done curtains and the like for us. His company is doing different awnings for us as well.

Fernando's brother Daniel,Mawane, Vertish, which ever name you may know him by works as a guard in a company that provides guards to different companies.

Guida their sister and her husband, Paulo are still here in Beira. Paulo works with us from time to time. He unfortunately lost one finger in a saw. He was working during lunch so since most people were not around we don't know exactly what happened. but he does seem to be healing well.

Lino who has been having his mostly downs is now on a Discipleship Training Course with Ywam it a city up north. It is 6 months of intensive teaching and working. We really hope this works out for him, he was really at the bottom of the barrel, no he was living under the barrel. He even came a match strike close (literally) from being lynched. the petrol had been poured on him after he was beaten senseless. some one just stepped up and said 'no don't burn him' Burning thieves alive is becoming common now. we are hoping that was a turning point for him.

Manuel who most of you know as 'mosquito' is married and has his first child Victor. His wife Fatima is from across the river from Beira. He was working with Food for the Hungry up north doing local medicine and sanitation courses. His contract was for only 6 months and he is waiting to see what he is going to do now. In the mean time he is working with us.

Innocence is in Zimbabwe last I heard doing a course there. He was working with Sena Sugar up north he has a wife and child but I have not met them as of yet.

Jeff or Armandinho is working selling things like clothes or jewelry or what ever sells, he still lives not too far from here with his mom.

That is just a quick update on the old boys, now men, that I see on a more regular basis

Dave and Jo's disappearing act

John Wickes — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:32:44 GMT

Dave and Jo were planning on going back to the UK for Jo to have their baby due at the beginning of the new year. Jo was going to go first at about 30 weeks with Dave to tail behind about a month later. Jo was beginning to be unsure about the doctors counsel here and even how far along they said she was. She decided to go to SA to have a check up there before she went on to England. Dave was to go with her to attend to Grace and help out thinking he would come back to Kedesh and return to England the following month. The situation went down hill quickly and they decided on a Sunday afternoon to leave Kedesh the next day and go to Jo’burg hospital. That same Monday night Jo had the baby premature in SA to everyone’s surprise. Ezra was born into the world having problems breathing. Due to his situation Dave Jo and Grace had to remain in SA for 2 months while he received intensive care and was able to fly on to England. Living only day to day not know what was going to happen when, was a tense couple of months. At times they were not even sure if he would make it or if he did, if he could have a normal life. One evening after his first time out of the hospital they had to give him CRP to resuscitate him then rushed him back to the hospital. The question, if the Wests were ever going to be able to return to Kedesh at all, due to his potential health problems had to be asked as well.

Now nearly 6 months on Ezra is doing well passing all development markers with flying colors. The Wests have been given the green light to come back to Kedesh again by family church and doctors. We look forward to having them back here with our newest boy and little brother. For the time being it is just a question of when.

Challenges

John Wickes — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:08:23 GMT

It has been some time since I have posted a blog

First there were site problems

Then there were computer problems

Then there was soft ware problems

Those all got resolved…

But then- to dumb to know the difference problems

I’m a bit smarter now and so we are back at blogging.

Rather then putting all the back log of blogs that I have all at once, I will post them over a couple of weeks. The ones that are ‘continuing sagas’ have been updated.

Thank you for your patience

John

Written beginning of Dec. 07

I thought I would give you a shortie to give you and idea of the type challenges we come up against…

We wanted to put the roof on our house we bought the tin for the roof but that store that sells the roofing does not sell the roofing screws to put them up. I run through Beira and can come up with not even a quarter of what I need. These are screws of two sizes 1” 25mm and 3” 75mm or at least something close to that and have a metal washer with a rubber washer. The good news is I found those. The bad news is that they all come from South Africa and South Africa is going on it’s yearly month vacation. I will not be able to get any screws to put the roof on my house for 5-6 weeks (shipping time as well). I have to sit and wait for over a month to put a roof on my house because SA is on vacation… I put up what I can and the rest of the house is exposed.

As most of you heard we have been getting major rains this year.

I just needed a couple hundred screws.

They are in another country

That’s on vacation.

Great.

Wet.

That’s Africa.

catching up

John Wickes — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:14:37 GMT

We here at Kedesh are giving a loonngg over due update. So firstly an apology for that fact. But here it is.

We had a lot of visitors this year. Over the Northern hemisphere’s summer we had people coming and going nearly constantly this year. In addition to the normal teams and visitors Dave and Jo’s parents came out an spent time getting to know Kedesh and all the goings on here. It was excellent for me (john) to get to know them after so many years. Dave and I actually go back 10+ years. That is when Dave first came out. So to meet their makers (Dave and Jo’s) was good for me, and hopefully them as well.

We had some old timers come back as well and some new timers that plan on coming back.

Heather Prichard who came originally in ‘99 came for a visit TWICE these last few months. Her first visit this summer she came with a Zimbo friend of hers Hulani. They were taking a break from where they work in Zim. The second time she came with some friends of hers from England, Heathers native land. She has decided to join us more permanently after her brothers wedding in the spring.

Heather, is a Occupational Therapist and plans to help and refine our working with the boys in preparing for life. She says she has psychological training as well and will be looking for cracks in the staff…. Anyone who knows us knows that does not require training. But we’ll humor her.

It will be nice to have another female on hand crashing ‘the boys’ party. We resist-- but love it. Jo I’m sure will relish having another female in this ‘X’ waste land. We had planted many paw-paw (papaya) trees in hopes of giving Jo other females to bond with (Papaya trees unlike most other tress are male and female) but Heather will probably work out better, she can go for walks with Jo!!! That probably wasn’t a very politically correct joke towards papaya trees, exposing their weaknesses publicly like that. I apologize.

Dave Jo and Grace had to leave us a bit unexpectedly last month. Jo, who has been growing in stature, mainly because she was pregnant, was preparing to go back to England to give birth when some complications came up. They all flew to SA to get a second opinion from the doctors there. The ones here weren’t filling them with confidence. The next day, at 30 weeks, Jo under went an emergency C section and little 1.5 kg Ezra came into the world!!! Welcome Ezra!!! He has had some complications but appears to be responding well growing quickly we look forward to having another Y around. GO Y’s!!!!

The down side of this birth in SA is that I thought I had Dave around till Dec but under the obvious circumstances he is in SA with Jo Grace and Ezra and they won’t be able to travel for some time now. When Ezra does get big enough they plan on going to England and showing him off. After that the plan is to return to Kedesh. All these dates and plans are all dependant on Ezra, and he hasn’t told us just yet…

As far as building is concerned the house is coming along nicely. We have bought the wood flooring and it is about 1/3 done. The trusses are about ¾ done. The boys have been helping in all this and really enjoying watching the house go up at their hands. They have also been putting on the finish layer of cement that gives the walls a nice smooth finish. Now, went I walk back and forth on our property the house is gaining a more finished ‘house’ look to it rather then a ‘what‘s that gonna be’ look. It is still a ways off but I hope to be moving into it with in a month just to be a guard that things we are putting in aren’t stolen at night. The boys have started sleeping over there on a recreational basis.

We have a new couple coming next week. Tyler and Danii Kutscheid from the states. They are newly weds who will be here for about 5 months. Danii, an artist, plans on painting murals all over Kedesh and we will start with the boys room. So Kedesh will start looking entirely different and colorful starting in a couple of weeks. Good bye cement gray!!! Tyler will be helping us on the agri side. I’m really excited to have them!

Joao Simao has been a great help with us in the years here and his plans have always been to move on to bigger and better things which has manifest itself in a Ywam base in SA. He will be a staff member there, as well as continuing his education. Joao has been a huge help while been here the last couple of years. He has been a great example and encouragement to the boys being their dorm father. He as well has been doing a lot of carpentry work for us as well. The most obvious of all he built three picnic tables for out door eating, which has been a big hit. We really needed the space as well. We wish the best for him and are sad to see him go, but are proud to send him off as such a great person.

The boys continue to be such excellent kids. They forever impress me and others who come through. There is just an excellent attitude, willingness, and contentment with them. I would love to Thank our God, YHVH for that work. I am grateful utmost for His work that is the main driving force, reason for being.

Our place has become something of a hang out as well now. So even though we have only 19 boys there are usually something to the effect of 30 that are here eating, sleeping, playing, working, building.

As far as the obstacle course is concerned we just received a donation from a local trucking company, J & J, of among other things all the old tie down straps from their trucks, hundreds of them of all sizes. So we have completed our net climbing wall, which is a big hit with the boys. They are constantly over there going up and down it. I have seen a hammock go up and ‘hand rails’ for our ascending descending balance beam, swings and climbing ropes are everywhere. Most of the boys have made them selves belts and head bands making Kedesh look like something of a Karate camp. We will also be making lawn chairs out of them. Thanks J&J!

We have had a few good rains and it looked like the rainy season was off to a good start. But now it hasn’t rained for a couple of weeks and I’m wondering again what kind of a year this will be. Since Kedesh runs on our own well this is an important issue for us, keep it in your prayers.

We are extremely blessed and have a wonderful life here. I frequently look around and just laugh at all the good things. Goats chickens fish all doing well, I do live a bless life. Thank you all for helping and investing in it, may you share in the joy as well. So in this time of the American Thanks Giving I give thanks to all of you joined with us. And mostly to our King of the Universe, Creator of the World and of Kedesh…

Thank you, we are grateful.

John

In the bleak mid-winter

John Wickes — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 08:09:00 GMT

One of the things I used to love about winter was Friday nights – well actually, I used to love them in summer as well. After a week at work, we'd eat dinner, settle down on the sofa with a cup of cocoa (or maybe something a little stronger), pull a blanket over our knees and put on the DVD we'd rented from Blockbuster. So last night we settled down on our (green, plastic, garden) chairs, pulled a blanket over our knees and put on a favourite DVD.

“Winter in Mozambique!”, I hear you cry, “Come on!” Well this year has been a particularly cold one. Last night it was 17 degrees outside – not exactly scarf and gloves weather granted - but 17 degrees outside equals 17 degrees inside when your house is made of bamboo and mud with no glass in the windows. It often gets a fair bit colder at night and reached 10 one morning – the coldest John has ever known it in 14 years.

I am grateful for my hoodie and fleece top which I've worn much more than I expected. I'm even more thankful for our thermostat controlled waterbed, now with the added luxury of a duvet which my parents left. We have the most wonderfully inappropriate bed for our context – but I'm thankful for now.

Most people in the west are reasonably prepared for winter – they have appropriate clothing – and although it gets so much colder than here, people can dress up accordingly for the outdoors. When you get back inside you can change your clothes, put them in the drier and put the kettle on. What temperature is your thermostat set at in the winter?

Not only is it cold at the moment – and most people are spectacularly under resourced – but it is also unseasonably wet. With no drier and no warm change of clothes, many will get very cold. One of our widows brought us some tangerines the other day. I was out planting grass (best done in the rain) as I met her. I noticed she was wearing a thin blouse and had an old piece of bin plastic loosely tied round her shoulders. I was wearing a new Peter Storm waterproof which some visitors had left me as a “second” coat. Doesn't Jesus say something about having two coats...?

It seems that Mozambique constantly throws the unexpected at you. I hadn't expected this kind of a winter in tropical, malaria-rife Beira, people would be living with inside winter temperatures that closely parallel western winters. So spare a prayer for the poor of Mozambique at the moment. The “frosty winds” may not be blowing, but for many it is indeed a “bleak mid-winter”.

Dave West

New Kids in town

John Wickes — Sun, 20 May 2007 12:32:00 GMT

       I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome David, Tito, and
Nelson. They are brothers whose grand mother can't take care of them
any more. Their home was literally a few pieces of bamboo with burlap
sack as the roofing. We have brought the three boys into our home and
are building a house for the grand ma.
         When they first came they all appeared to be nearly the same
age 10 to 12, I asked who was oldest and who was youngest, then I
asked the youngest how old he was, he said '12' that was older than I
would have guessed but OK. Then I asked the next in line he said 10,
I sensed a problem. I then asked the oldest how old he was he said 6.
Hmmmm. I asked him how he could be 6 and the oldest and he just
scowled at me as if I were making fun of him. OK on to another
subject… I explained to them how Kedesh works and what is expected of
them. They understand Portuguese and responded well so they are smart
enough boys. I would say their linguistic skills are about the best
of new comers.   It is common to have a new kid that doesn't speak any
Portuguese and for the first season I have to have a translator for
him. They haven't had any schooling so don't read or write.
       Stan is another new boy we have, he is the grand son of one of
our widows. The first house we built for a widow was for his grand
ma.   We have been supporting them for several years now with food,
clothing and school fees. Stan is a very well behaved boy, very happy
and surprisingly honest. Since his family was already being assisted
by Kedesh, he was already familiar with us and slipped right in. The
other three brothers though weren't that easy, they were not sure what
to make of this hairy white guy.
       We also had one other new boy Mark, he's 53 and from the
States. He came to join us for a month helping us with his carpentry
skills. He was very helpful in doing some building work for us: vents
in our tin roof, ladder, stove top… But I have to say that probably
the highlight for Mark and the boys was making their own kites. The
boys make their kites from a time age old tradition, out of plastic
bags from the store, twigs from a tree and string from the fibers of
plastic 'burlap' bags that we get rice, flour and beans in. On
average they are the size of an A4 piece of paper. Mark decided to
make his own and the first couple did not, shall we say… fly. Not to
be out done by 8 year olds, he did it the American way… no he didn't
go to the store and buy one, the other American way. He made a 6 foot
one! Armed with a retractable knife, off cuts of wood, sheet plastic,
and hemp string the monster demon came forth!!! Now the boys were
laughing a different tune at this one. Mark climbed to the second
tier of the water tower (about 5 meters, 15 ft) and hung on for dear
life, his black demon seeking to pull free of it's bondage wanting to
possess the nearest tree. Needless to say this caused a few people to
stop on the road to wonder who was going to cast who where. After a
while the wind died and the black demon sunk in defeat and Mark
climbed down from his cement tower beaming, hero to the boys.   The
demon sits in a corner of our dinning room waiting for the next person
daring to take him on the wings of the wind. But no takers as of yet,
this one goes out only with strength and courage.
For the meek of heart, water coloring became a past time as well and
we discovered some unknown artists in the house. Our entire house
began to look like someone's refrigerator front. The boys proudly
hung their designs of flags cars and houses everywhere. Mark coached
and praised them in their work as if they spoke English and they
smiled and were proud of their work brought and hung by the master as
if they understood English. Art, and kites, you don't need language
just the supplies, and a retractable knife.

May these acquaintances be forgot..

John Wickes — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 07:40:00 GMT

Once again we have been robbed. The nature of the robbery indicates that it was most certainly the same persons. What they took this time monetarily was really very little, if anything the robbery seemed to be more to aggravate more then anything. What was taken was my broken bathroom mirror (about the size of a small book) my shampoo, shower curtian, the top half of our water filter (what does someone do with HALF a water filter? Home made at that?) and 4 chairs one of which was broken, our clock which was one of a kind was taken as well. I really liked that clock, Dave hated it. It’s ‘chime’ would play very electronic versions of Auld Lang Syne, oh Susanna and other classics The song was always different and it’s repertoire never ceased to amaze me. Depending on how strong the battery was dictated, cantor and tempo. The thing I liked about it best it did not chime the right time. You never knew how many chimes you would get at for instance 1 pm, it could be 12 or maybe just 3, it always changed but nearly never right! I think in the years we had that clock I heard it chime right just a hand full of times. The old saying a broken clock is right twice a day was not correct in this case. When they stole the clock they hand to pass a heavy duty sprayer that you put on your back, workers yesterday left out hammers… and then reach over a clothesline that had a jacket, sheets, shirts and other clothes on it. (We have an indoor line it has been raining so much) The thing that really upset me was my coffee percolator was stolen. There was a huge aluminum kettle left out a 15 gallon like thing, they took my coffee pot and not that kettle, you can’t buy coffee percolators here!!!! You can get the drip type with the glass decanter but who wants a glass cafetiere in a house with 20 boys? There is no such thing as ‘unbreakable’ ‘life time guarantee’.

I guess the good news is this is my second chance to work at blessing those who do evil to you, I failed the first test, my mind looked like something out of a Jackie Chan movie, but I spoke with an American accent.

Won sad puppy

John Wickes — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 10:05:00 GMT

The police went down screaming and moaning even begging for a Fanta to drink, accusing us of deceiving them, even though they have 2 receipts a sworn document from me and the shop owner testifying that we bought the cement there. But they have signed papers to let the cement go and Joao does not have to go to jail.

In all this we had informed them that our house had been robbed and their response was when the thief shows up bring him by.

It is all very sad that in all this we are happy that Joao is not in jail and in the light of everything 10 bags of cement is really nothing. But I remain sad that the police are so corrupt that they are angry that we didn’t bribe and that there may be a grudge match on. When darkness has so over come that they resent and fail to understand why others don’t function on their same level. That they see the function of their job is to extort money.

We have one of my older boys from days gone by who wants to be a police and change things… he can’t get in to police school because he won’t bribe his way in. Things are done badly on such a normal basis that it IS normal and not seen as bad as all, but how the system works.

I always try and reflect on things, I ask myself how does my system work? Am I blind to my own faults and systems, are they normal? Am I just an old dog trying to learn new tricks as well? Is there light shining at me from some direction that I may just find annoying and be completely baffled at it, I just find it confusing?

Lord have mercy on us all, open my eyes that I may truly see. I want the light of life.

Joao Simao

John Wickes — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:38:00 GMT

Joao Simao just got back from the police and they have not accepted the new receipt, he is to report to prison tomorrow.

We are looking for ways to fight this Gango and now Pastor Bonga are going to the police station. We are not expecting much though, today is a holiday ‘Day of the Woman’ the police chief of that station is a lady and she has taken the day off.

How far does our responsibility go?

John Wickes — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:37:00 GMT

“First, take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matt 7:5

All the events of the last few days (and it isn’t all over yet – particularly for Joao Simao) have caused me to reflect a lot on the Wests’ attitude towards the Global South/Developing World/Two thirds world/Third World (choose your preferred terminology.)

In the wake of Jubilee 2000 and the Drop the Debt campaign, a lot has been done by Western countries to remove some of the injustices which we put upon developing countries which exacerbate poverty. Admittedly, there is still a long way to go in areas such as trade, for example, but I want to ask a question I have been thinking about increasingly for the last few years, but which events of the past months and now the last few days has intensified.

What is the point of removing debt, of initiating fairer trade laws, of giving “better” aid, if a country’s infrastructure is so corrupt and thieving, that money simply leaches away once inside the system?

It may well be the right thing to do, it may well expunge our colonial (or even post-colonial consciences), but are we simply interested in throwing a few more pounds or dollars in Africa’s direction, simply “improving” peoples standards of living, or do we genuinely want to see lasting change in terms of attitudes as well?

There may well be plenty going on at top governmental levels to increase accountability, but within the system here, immigration officials, police, traders, market stall holders, school teachers, football tournament officials etc. are sometimes corrupt to the core. Go to the local market and you will find an array of Western T-Shirts, shorts, trousers and shoes – all donated to aid organizations – all sold onto the black market. Finish with border line grades at school and your teacher may well ask for money in order to pass you. (One of our ex-lads was told in order for him to pass, he had to find girls for the teacher to sleep with.) Enroll for police or teacher training and you will be snubbed unless you pay a handful of “extra” payments on top of your fees. Try to recover your stolen goods and the police will not release them unless you pay them for their trouble. Take your kids to a local football tournament and you will be told you cannot play your best two players because they are “too old” – even when you hold their ID cards in front of the guy’s nose so that he can read they are young enough. Add into this, that said official had been trying to scout them for his team 2 days earlier, and the situation becomes even murkier. Do you get my point?

I understand that I am simplifying things here and can hear some protests already. Police need to supplement their wages in order to live. Well they already earn above the minimum wage here – and in a country where unemployment is anywhere between 20-50% they have a better standard of living than most. It may be that culturally it is expected that bribery is just part of the economic system. Ok, but this brings me back to my question. Every culture has good, neutral and bad aspects to it. It isn’t our job to destroy cultures in my opinion, but having looked at our own foreign policies (plank in our own eye) shouldn’t our responsibility then lie in removing, or helping to remove, the speck from our brother’s eye (e.g. in this case corruption)?

In 2005 the G8 was held at Edinburgh and along with hundreds of thousands of others I marched in protest against unfair trade laws etc. I want an end to poverty in Africa. However, I remember feeling a pang of unease at the time, that the three pronged attack of more and better aid, fair trade and an end to corruption, had been reduced to better aid and fair trade by the marchers.

The emphasis of the West, must include a real push for anti corruption if Africa is not to be any poorer 20 years on from the second Live8. Otherwise, more money may well be entering a country, its GNP and rate of economic growth may be increasing, but all that is happening is that those with any power become richer, whilst the poor become poorer.

I have a Liberian friend who studied for a Development Masters in Manchester. He was convinced that the main factor that kept Africa in poverty wasn’t the colonial legacy, or any of the post colonial economic factors but was corruption within. Yes the other factors were important, but corruption was the crux of the problem.

We have spent a fair deal of time removing the plank in our own eye – (and still have splinters to go) but please, we must start focusing on the speck of corruption here if we really want to see long lasting change in all aspects of life.

Dave

No the fun doesn’t stop…

John Wickes — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 07:08:00 GMT

Day 2… Gango takes the receipt to the police station this morning to prove to the police that we bought the cement, the police didn’t ask for it but I thought it would button up the situation beyond doubt… stupid me. It turns out that the police had no right to demand a document of me and he was going to be in trouble. If I would have just let it be he would have gotten in trouble and we would have gotten our cement back (theoretically). I was the signature on the paper and it was our stamp on it no questions about it. But when I bring a receipt, ‘no this is a forgery’ they put Joao Simao in jail for using a forged document. We have to find a copy of this receipt to prove it is not forged. I argued venomously with the police over this issue. It turns out that when Joao Simao gave the receipt to Jo to be put in the books she couldn’t read it well so he just made it a little darker so she could see it. It obviously was the same as before there was no messiness about it that made it look like it had been altered. It was just that the receipt was written in black ink and Joao highlighted with blue and that was all the police needed. During the argument I caught the police lying once or twice and pointed out the contradiction, they didn’t like that. One was that they said the document in question was the receipt and not the one I wrote up, but I pointed out that they refused to release the cement last night saying the documents were not right and the receipt wasn’t given to them till this morning… The police don’t like to be embarrassed. Then the other was the policeman who stopped the cart denied asking for the document from me even though this conversation happened in front of 4 people he still denied it and the chief of police didn’t seem to care. I asked them why then would I go home make a document bring it back then you not release the cement on the basis it was a forgery? Why wouldn’t I have just come straight to the police station to talk with the chief? Why would I go home and draw up a document from myself to prove I was saying what I was saying??? The stupidity of it all was amazing, but like I said the police don’t like to be embarrassed.

It is now noon, I have to go back to the store where we bought the cement and ask for another receipt to prove the one at the police station is not a forgery… the store is closed, he’s not there and so I wait, Joao sits in jail… The store opens at 2 and the owner does come in, he won’t be there till 5 so I wait… Joao sits in jail… Gango is very good at what he does he just sat in the police station very humbly pleading with the police, Joao apologizes for ‘doctoring’ the receipt, at around 4 the police say that Joao can sleep at home our cement sleeps at the police station, bring the other receipt tomorrow.

I’m glad Joao is out of jail, wondering what tomorrow will bring very wound up don’t sleep well matter of a fact it’s raining hard all night very noisy on a tin roof I finally fall asleep around 4 30 only to wake up to start breakfast for the boys at 5 30.

Day 3

5 30 coffee and breakfast, put pans on for hot water chuck yesterdays coffee grains outside around the house (ant repellant) … Hey where are all the steel beams for the construction for the house 6 beams are gone?????? We’ve been robbed. I go back in to continue with breakfast because I know there is nothing I can do about it. I go into the pantry to make the porridge for the boys… no sugar no rice no flour no oil no soap… even the water filter is gone. I make my coffee. I go to sit down to read, the chairs are gone…

Everyone is awake now hard to talk because the rain is still pouring down and nobody can hear what the other is saying… but the general opinion is that you shouldn’t embarrass the police. If this is true it would not be the first time and it is common knowledge that the police and thieves are in each others pockets, call it a working relationship.

It is not even 8 am and this day is already a whopper, we still have to go in and resolve the thing of the cement with the police… will they be gloating? Do we even say anything to them about us being robbed. Even if they aren’t involved will they even help? Or will it just be another avenue to ask for money?

I’m not going to say anything to them.

My boys are out in pouring rain trying see if they can find anything… good lads they are, wish I didn’t like them so much, I be outta here in a heartbeat.

Does the fun never stop

John Wickes — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:10:00 GMT

Corruption hits a new low today, which I have little doubt is normal day to day living for Mozambicans.

We as most of you know we tithe 10% of all monies that come into Kedesh to our widows project. It is this money that we use to build widows houses, medical needs, blankets, food and the like. Today I had sent a couple of boys with 10 bags of cement to finish off a house we are building for a lady (about 100USD worth). The cement was loaded up at our house onto a chova (a two wheeled push cart about the size of a back of a Toyota truck, the local means of transport of goods) and was headed to the widows house when it was intercepted by police. The police accused our boys of stealing the cement, and demanded that I come and confirm that their story was true. I pedaled on my bike to where the guys are and tell the police, who recognize and know me, that yes this is our cement and what we are doing with it. Not good enough I have to go home and write a document certifying that this is our cement, with the Kedesh official stamp on the document (they love stamps on papers and documents here). I said I’m standing here in front of you telling you what I would write down. Nope, no good they have to have the stamped document! So I asked them if it would be OK if I wrote and stamped the document and sent it back with Andre pointing to one of the boys. They said fine and in front of the police I gave Andre money to get back home and get the document I was to write. They insisted that the chova and cement had to continue on to the police station until they had the document that was another 2 miles 3ks down the road. When you are pushing a cart that has a load of 500kgs or 1100 pounds on it…this is not good news. Especially when you will have to turn right back around and take it back.

About an hour later Andre shows up and says that the police made them off load the cement and that the document that I had written signed stamped was a forgery… I’m fuming now… Tomorrow I have every intention to submit an article in the local newspaper, go to the anti corruption board, to the governor and to the chief of Police. I’ll get counsel from Gango and go from there.

Joao Simao went to the police to try and reason with them and show them the receipt of when we bought 100 bags of cement but the shift had changed and all the offenders had gone home…

To be continued…

Follow up on Favio

John Wickes — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:36:00 GMT

Just a follow up on the cyclone and what we are hearing.

The city of Vilankulo lost 2000 homes, Vilankulo is a small place I would guess that is saying pretty much everyone in that town is roofless at best. There are 7 reported dead and hundreds hurt. The hospital was destroyed and the prison. All 700 prisoners escaped.

We didn’t hear much about Inhasorro for a few days today’s paper says that 90,000 people are in urgent need of help in the province of Inhambane, which both Vilankulo and Inhasorro are in. Roads are still impassable.

Vilankulo and Inhasorro are both mainly tourist town where many if not most of you that have been here would have went.

I’m relieved.

John Wickes — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:14:00 GMT

I’m relieved. I thank YHWH my house wasn’t destroyed. But their’s were. I prayed the storm wouldn’t hit us, it clobbered them. It’s good to have the right contacts with God, right? We’re the ones who have all these rich ‘whites’ sending us money, really shouldn’t it have been us? Am I any less of a sinner than them? Ya, that must be it. This was a category 4 storm just before it hit land - the same as Katrina that destroyed New Orleans, but with a big difference ours was only about 300 ks (180 miles) in diameter where Katrina was much bigger but the force was the same. But I guess that’s just, these were just villages, New Orleans is a big city. I knew from the start if this hit Kedesh we wouldn’t stand a chance it would be totally destroyed…I was worried… scared. I stayed light hearted and made the reinforcing of plastic and bamboo ‘fun’ with the boys so they really wouldn’t understand the disaster that was looking at us. One worried and scared per house hold is enough. After seeing on the internet, the dark red spot that was destroying everything in its path was going to miss us, I was enjoying breezy winds with the smell of rain in the air that was finally breaking the heat of the last days. Because this storm was so ‘small’ I was on the outer edges of it and could look south and see very dark looming clouds, blowing clouds of guilt in my mind knowing beyond my gaze people were being battered by 270 k (170m) winds. I look at the trivial joke of fortifications that hoped to save our little tin roofed mud bamboo huts from the Power of Nature- that in the end we didn’t need. I hear there are entire villages and towns that now don’t have homes, roofs and refuge from the storm. Will I wake up tomorrow and have to read of the dead and homeless? How will I find resolution in that for my prayers. It’s good when God answers my prayers. Who are the ‘whites’ that send them money?

I’m really glad people prayed for us, I am. But I have another questions

Darfour…Sudan…Ethiopia. Too many dark clouds comfortably away.

I just received a text from some one else who is relieved, it says ‘Don’t worry the high winds aren’t going to hit us, God bless you’

Ya God bless us.

year of the deluge

John Wickes — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 15:52:00 GMT

This must be the year of the deluge, we have had another storm and from about 6 one evening to 8 or 9 the next morning we received about 16 inches 400mm of rain. That is minimum, my rain bucket that I am using to measure holds only 4 inches I had to empty it 4 times 2 of those times was when I randomly woke up in the night and it was over flowing so really no telling how much more rain there actually was. I am glad to report that there were not high winds this time so we are wet but well. I went on a walk down the road from our house just to see where all this water was going. The road after about 100 meters from our house was a stream. I followed it’s path to the flood plain and by the time I got to the plain the river was too deep and furious to walk in and about 20 meters wide. The flood plain was full of water. All the foot paths are creeks there is no place there wasn’t water. One man was standing what I thought was outside his house but as I got closer I realized that the water had taken away the side of his house and he was actually inside looking at his non existing wall. Before, to get to the river you would have to walk 45 mins to an hour. I arrived in 10 mins. at a wandering pace. Not because I am fast but because the water is high. I didn’t go into town and everyone who works with us didn’t show up. We received phone calls and messages that Beira was flooded again. Late in the afternoon I rode my bike just down the street from us, Passage de Nievel, towards town just to get out of the house for a while and the whole area was still flooded, houses looked like poor mans castles with their moats. To get into the neighborhood market I had to ride through nearly knee high water.

Gango came in the next day as well as the other workers telling stories of houses chickens ducks and goats being swept way by the floods. The Beira news paper was full of pictures of down town streets with water half way up the cars, people in chest high water and just the tops of houses, pictures of total messes that we were told in the captions were the remains of peoples houses.

Dave Jo and Grace are on vacation right now in Zimbabwe so they have missed the fun of this week. The had to go to Zim because the visa restrictions that mandate them to leave the country every 90 days until have their DIRE (residency). They will be back Sunday none the wiser.

We have had a deluge of another sort as well. We have received 3 large donations to help with different parts of the project. One is to set up a methane pilot project here at Kedesh. Using cow manure that is placed in tanks we will be harvesting the gas. So the plans tanks piping and cow poo all are provided. This is based on existing projects in India.

The second gift from Norman and Carol Swanson parents of John Swanson who was with us for several month a couple of years ago, is to fund the construction of a fence to enclose Kedesh. As you have heard in days past thieving is one of our main problems so having a fence around our place will help in untold ways. One is we quit have a veggy garden on our project because we ended up not eating nearly half or more that was grown. It is the same with the fruit trees, with the mangos I don’t worry too much about people taking because there are so many every where. But Banana Atta Papaya and the like we rarely eat the fruit of our own property. For instance we have only two Atta trees right now, even though we have had this property for I guess 5 years now I was able to eat my first Atta just this past year. People walking down the street were able to just look in and see what was going on and then come back at a more appropriate time to help themselves. Also the control of the animals. We have been keeping goats and chickens for years now and our chickens never got to more then twenty and usually stayed around just a half dozen. People just felt it was Ok to help themselves to our chickens as they free ranged. The same has been true with the goats. We have to have a boy with the goats 100% of the day time people will (and have) help themselves to a goat or two and as well the goats have been known to help themselves to other peoples gardens. With a fence we will be buying several more goats and get a proper herd going and not have to worry about them as much.

The third was towards a couple of things, completion of the building that we have over half built. We also have been considering buying the property that joins ours, so if the owner of that property is willing to sell at a fair price we would be able to purchase it. The good part is the fencing of that property would only have to be done on one side. One side has a lake as a natural barrier. A second side already has an existing wall the 3^rd side is joining our property. So the wall that would have gone between our two properties would just be built on the road side of the new property. This right now is totally hypothetical since we have not been able to find the owner of this property. But we have heard that he was interested in selling. This property would be used as the farm side of things. We would be planting more fruit trees keeping the animals and garden, with just a simple house for a staff member to live in as ‘guard’. This would essentially double the size of Kedesh bringing it to 2 hectares or 5 acres.

We have 7 of the older boys that have gone to a camp called Teen Missions for about a month. This leaves us with many of the littler guys. It is a bit easier in one way because there are fewer boys. It is harder in other ways because it is school holidays and we like to keep the boys occupied and doing things. We continue doing construction but it has to be on a much smaller level for the little guys. But to contradict myself yesterday I was having to do a lot of office work and during a break I went out to see what the boys were up to. I found them building a dip tank by themselves. I had several days earlier just described this tank that we will use to dip paint, sheets of metal, grates, expanded metal and plywood to the boys and where it was to be built. The boys ages 8 to 12 built it on their own!!! I got there just as they were putting the finishing touches. I gave it an inspection gave them one or two pointers, but was really proud of these little guys just went for it on there own and made their tank all well done!!

Maputo

John Wickes — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 11:23:00 GMT

Well John’s been hassling me for a while to contribute towards the blog and the events of the last week have given me something to upload. If you’ve read John’s previous episodes then you’ll understand that our first two months here have been something of a baptism of fire! What with the metacinha, houses falling down, robberies etc. we’ve been taking time to find our feet (thankfully no-ones stolen them yet) but beginning to learn that life in Beira will never be dull or uneventful.

Quick recap for those not in the loop. Warned of break in at Kedesh, break in at Kedesh, laptop stolen (amongst other things), laptop turns up in Maputo, we have to go to Maputo to recover said laptop. Still with me?

So on Wednesday morning accompanied by another Kedesh worker, Joao Simao, I head off to Maputo to bring back our computer. If I’m being honest there was art of me that was quite excited by the prosect of a “road trip” and in three previous visits to Mozambique I’d never made it south to Maputo, so it was with an air of adventure that I boarded the bus that would sixteen hours later deposit us in the capital city. Our journey down was uneventful and we passed the time chatting, taking in the varied landscape and making visits to the loo. We had paid the extra £5 and taken the Pantera Azul, a bus that would in a previous life have assed as respectable in the UK but by Mozambican standards was luxurious. Thus we enjoyed only one person per seat, cups of water brought to us, suspension of sorts and a toilet. We were almost giddy from the aesthetic luxuries afforded to us.

As we reached the outskirts of Maputo I tried hard to peer through the windows to form some initial impression of the city. It was dark and so I could make out little. The city was clearly bigger than Beira and the centre was full of neon. Large well lit glass forecourts passed by. Joao Simao’s comment that Maputo was more like Johannesburg than Beira seemed to be true.

However daylight was not kind to Maputo and my favourable initial impressions were short lived. It has to be said that Maputo resembles a bigger, uglier, faster and perhaps even smellier Beira. Someone has taken some of the taller buildings from Johannesburg or Harare and dropped them from a height onto the centre. Sadly however, they didn’t bother clearing up the mess and so the pavements look like a bomb’s been dropped. Heaps of rotting rubbish decorate the crazing paving and it wasn’t long before I was looking forward to the relative rural peace and quiet of Manga.

We set off early for the police station and were greeted happily by Lencu, the officer who had recovered the laptop. We shook hands warmly and were ushered into his office and seated whilst he gave orders to a confused underling concerning a pile of papers on his desk. Finally he fixed us over his glasses and with a pained expression told us of how much work had gone into the recovery of the computer. He was soon joined by two guards who wore the same serious looks. Yes, they agreed, it had been a complicated and difficult case involving lots of different staff. Joao Simao began to look concerned and I recognised our first corrupt official of the day. We had discussed bribery and corruption on the bus journey and had come to the conclusion that we would try to pre-empt the request for money with the offer of a gift in order to thank him for all his work. Some might argue that this was effectively the same outcome. Perhaps so, but I would want to argue that the very fact that money was not asked for, or even insisted upon for the return of our computer creates a very different dynamic. The Bible speaks on bribery, only against the person exhorting the bribe. We wanted to prevent this situation arising.

The laptop was brought out and I began to offer profuse thanks as I recognised the silver lid of our Acer. I logged on, and to my horror realised that the thieves had been at work removing all our personal files. Gone were all our music, photos and documents. With the receipt buried somewhere in a box in the UK I had been relying on pulling up photos and accurately describing the contents to prove that the laptop was in fact ours. However, my composure was shot through as I tried to negotiate the new format and display which had been installed. Not for the last time that day, Joao came to the rescue and suggested I try the recycle bin. Nervously I opened it up and discovered that my essays from last year had not been removed. Clearly the thieves felt unable to remove these important academic tomes and had left them on there for future reference!

Earlier that day our guesthouse host had regaled us with the tale of a German guest who had encountered the same Lensu when her documents were stolen in Maputo. She had had them returned but only after paying a bribe of 2500MT (£50, $100). We were keen to avoid the same result but when Joao slipped out to use the loo he was accosted by a police guard. She informed him that his boss (i.e. me) had better ay a lot as they had worked really hard on the case! When Joao returned he carefully informed me of this in English and so for the first time that day I told my sob story! We work for a children’s centre, we don’t have a car but have travelled by bus, don’t have a lot of money etc. (all true) but we recognise his hard work and would like to offer a small gift for his hard work. At this Lensu looked disgruntled as if the thought of accepting money from a client offended his sense of professional ride. As I handed over the equivalent of £9 he looked slightly disappointed but without a second thought opened a side draw and dropped in the notes. His colleagues look on in disgust at the white man who couldn´t even afford a car!

Thinking we are all sorted I begin pack away only to be informed that we must travel to the central poice station to take Suzi away for charging, and to sign for our computer. It will be a matter of minutes we are assured. We get into the vehicle we’ve commandeered for the day and with three handcuffed criminals in the back head get Lensu to give us a push start. Off we go, a cross between group 4 and DHL. At the station we are asked to identify Suzi and are then asked to take a seat whilst a clerk begins to work his way through a gargantuan pile of papers. We wait…

After much toing and froing, we are eventually asked to accompany the clerk upstairs where we are informed that a whole new process will need to be started and we might as well come back tomorrow. Resisting the temptation to do something illegal, I calmly explain our situation for the second time that day and the officer rather moodily pulls out a piece of paper and begins the process then and there. We are asked to sit outside. We wait…

We are called back in and prove that the laptop is ours. We are asked to sit outside. We wait…

Finally we are handed our laptop and resisting the temptation to run, stuff it into our rucksack and walk calmly to the door.

There are many things about Mozambique I love – the pace of life, people who talk to each other in the street, the weather (yes even in the heat), the countryside and the kids who we work with. Were used to police being trustworthy and helpful – I guess this is just one of the new things we have to get used to about life in a new place.

Dave

I want your baby!

John Wickes — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 11:02:00 GMT

“I want your baby!”

“Muzungo! – Macuti!” (Hey white person – do you want to go to the beach?”

“Beautiful hair!”

“Good morning – I need medicine.”

So what’s it like to be a white woman in Mozambique? Maybe a better place to start would be – what’s it like to be a woman in Mozambique?

“Hey that’s woman’s work!” I’m beginning to realise how many contexts that can be used in. Babies are tied to your back so that you can get on with it: fetching water, cooking, growing produce, pounding corn, manning the stall at the side of the road. Good arm muscles are a necessity here not a fashion accessory. (I’m working on it!) When your burden is too heavy you enlist the help of younger sisters or daughters. There are however, as I’m sure there are in all cultures, a few sacred spaces that are male. Minibus drivers and their cobradors (responsible for collecting money, drumming up trade, shutting the door after 20 people have squeezed in etc.)

So maybe that begins to answer the first question too. I’m a white woman living in a rural Mozambican community so I’m immediately different. I have a baby ( with beautiful hair) but I let her walk around, I have time to lay with her, I have 15 boys who are helpful. I sometimes even go out without her (although I always get asked where she is, at the local café, supermarket in Beira or walking along the street).

There are some things that are the same though and maybe that makes me more strange. I take the bus into town, go to the local shops and even walk around without shoes on. Even in the UK I disliked wearing shoes – it’s warm here, the local streets are sandy and I don’t get told off for not wearing shoes in December – it was inevitable really!

So what about at Kedesh? Grace and I have encroached on a very male household. Football is still the favourite past time of choice and there are days when I feel like I’m living on a building site – industrial gloves being used to bring food to the table – but there are ways I’m trying to bring a woman’s touch to the house. Chocolate chip cookies and shower curtains. Clothes peg holders and Thanksgiving pies. I have infact joked with Dave and John that I’m a 1950’s housewife. And then there’s the mending. All I can say is that my mum must be glad that she only had girls. I’ve had some challenging frayed tears already and one that I’ve been putting off for the last week.

So what’s it like to be a woman in Mozambique? As an external observer – interesting but heartbreaking. As a mother of 16 – hard work but great fun. As an English woman – very hot and at times very confusing… but give me time.

Jo