Our friends Lucy and Clive opened their home in Western Australia to organize a Fund Raising 3 course dinner in November for 100 people. The Zimbabwe charities chosen were ZANE (Zimbabwe a National Emergency) and COSMOS HEALTH, both charities providing much needed assistance for people in the rural areas, plus support for pensioners who have been left penniless due to the economic failure of the country. With lots of background work plus help from friends the evening was a huge success and around $13,300.00 was raised. The decor was African themed with beautiful fabrics made into table cloths and waitress aprons.
Guest speaker was Australian author Tony Park who writes adventurous, gripping novels based in Africa. He kept us entertained with stories and his new release is called "The Cull" . Tony and his wife Nicola divide their time between Sydney and Africa, allowing valuable research opportunities.
Lucy organised various items for auction and I was happy to donate two of my elephant images I'd had printed onto stretched canvas, one being my 'Waterline' image. I was asked to give an impromptu speech discussing the print and was very pleased both were sold, raising additional funds for the charities.
Zimbabwe has a 90% unemployment rate and a collapsed economy. Medical facilities in the rural areas are poor and Cosmos Health Organisation started assisting in Zimbabwe in 2009. "Based in Perth, Western Australia, our organisation works closely with strategic partners to provide a range of primary health, health education and community development services for disadvantaged rural communities in Zimbabwe." Dr Darryn Rennie showed slides while discussing how Cosmos assisted in the rural areas around Bulawayo in October 2017. For further information on Cosmos, to donate or volunteer please visit their website www.cosmoshealth.org
The other charity ZANE (Zimbabwe A National Emergency) 'enables donors to help forgotten people in Zimbabwe and seeks to relieve invisible and visible suffering.'
'ZANE provides aid, comfort and support to 1,800 impoverished pensioners with nowhere else to turn. Only those genuinely in need of assistance receive it. Donors are able to choose which aspect of ZANE's mission they plan to support. ZANE runs education programmes in the high-density areas assisting women and children living in extreme poverty. ZANE funded the first clubfoot correction programme in Zimbabwe. Eleven treatment centres have been established and over 2,600 children have received treatment to date. ZANE funds the provision of prosthetic limbs for victims of landmine explosions and treatment for people with hearing loss.'
For additional information on how to join in or donate please visit their website www.zane-zimbabweanationalemergency.com , thanks