Dear Paul,

We are back and finally settled in to our “old” life style.

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you.  How is it going getting the supplies for the school?

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Zimbabwe with Mother Africa.  We were impressed with way Mother Africa organized our time and activities and their well thought ways of donating to the community. It was a great balance of service activities and a bit of time to be tourists. It was very rewarding for us to teach at the Cyrene Mission School.  The staff and students there were outstanding, helpful and talented.  We exchanged email addresses with the two art teachers we worked with and hope to keep in contact with them.  We are hoping to go back to Cyrene and work there again for a longer period of time.

We also enjoyed the volunteering at Ethandweni Children’s Home.  Working in the garden (which is fantastic), helping in the kitchen and interacting with the children was memorable. Having a hike with some of the children and observing some rock paintings were a plus as well.  Lucien, the director, does an an amazing job of giving those children a safe happy environment.

Lastly, visiting The Painted Dog Centre in Hwange National Park was interesting.  We were lucky enough to get to track the wild dogs with an expert, Jealous.  As a bonus, we also saw an wide variety of wild animals in the park.  Visiting the Iganyana Arts & Crafts Centre in Dete was also a highlight.  It was wonderful to watch the artists create sculptures and jewelry from recycled snare wires.

We felt that the accommodations and personal attention were superb.  Both Amalinda and Ivory Lodge were lovely places to stay and the staff was knowledgeable and excellent.  We feel that we got a much better look at the “real” Zimbabwe, which was our goal.  And we feel that we were a bit helpful as well.

Here are a few photos you may want to use.

Thanks,

John & Peggy – USA June 2011