Hello Christoph and everyone.
Yes it has been a long time but I have so much to do and just cannot get enough time to sit down and email. It would help if my phone at home worked for the internet but somehow as I did explain before, it hangs and then I end up with nophone at all so I gave up connecting the internet at home.
Well as you can see I am trying to get some pictures to you but it is a struggle. Anyway that was Tamlyn who sent them to you. She is the daughter of the new partner (and family relative) so I hope we will be able to do it more often. Unfortunately she had to do it from her job because my cheap email couldn't do it but hopefully we will be able to upgrade to a better program soon. We are all well but you were so right. We are all still waiting for things tohappen. Zimbabweans are such lovely patient people it is unbelievable. So far not much is happening but I do believe you are now allowed and actually beinge ncouraged to open an FCA account and can draw your money any wherever in the world. I think everyone is treading very cautiously with that one. I don't have one yet hahahaha. Businesses are struggling through lack of confidence and the recession I guess. I am afraid to say we are as well although God is great we still do six or so jobs a day. That has not at all made me feel down. In fact we are preparing ourselves for a boom even if it is only a little onebecause the City Council has now started doing their job. They are going aroundto the companies and inspecting for shop licences and before they give you want to see the toilet facilites, hot water boilers and leaking taps all repaired. We have had to put in two urinals and a door at a little extension before we get our licence. The hardware store has not been given permission to trade until the 9th when we have to first find out whether final fees have been agreed upon. The wages are all in US dollars and the plumbers were awarded 50c an hourwhich comes to 22 dollars and 18 after deductions a week. This is certainly not enough so I have doubled it plus I pay for all their contributions to Social security, pension, trade union etc.
What a contrast the wages are in relation to the waterbills and shop licences. They want $530 for a shop licence and charges such as $200 for water bills and electricity bills. It was so out of hand that the council were stopped from charging until they fix the price of water and electricity. Everything is in place in our hardware store and today I have finally put our first bits of stock in. We sold our first element and a thermostat and even a two plate stove. We are setting up the computer with a point of sale programme so have had someone giving us lesson for two hours.
O how can I forget to tell you. We had no water in Harare for two days. Can you imagine what that does to everyone's lives, to businesses and to hospitals?????? What about the simplest things in life like going to the toilet and washing your hands after so that you don't get cholera!!!!!! The water has just come back today so I hope it will stay. We all have these buckets in our houses for cases like this.
I am still happy here and still trying hard for the staff and thankful for people like you out there that we can rely on for support and an ear to listen and a kind word. Christopher and I are going through everything and I will leave all the vehicles and tools etc etc so that he will continue without any problems. The staff are all well and all still finding their way to work amidst the cholera, poverty and transport problems. Up there God watches and every day we are blessed with something.
Everyone is in shock about Tsvangirai and his latewife.
Regards to everyone.
Sammy xxx
With a little help..
Some world events are closer to home than others and when we got to know Sammy, the owner of Mardon Plumbers in Harare, Zimbabwe, she lived here in Newcastle. Then, 2 years ago, when the situation in Zimbabwe worsened, she decided to go back and look after her 12 employees in Harare whose livelihood depend on a job with her company. Unfortunately, it didn't get any better since. Zimbabwe is suffering an economic and political crisis, with annual inflation of 100,000%, and unemployment at 80%. There are severe food and fuel shortages and recent outbreaks of Cholera. Some friends and colleagues decided that maybe we could help. Since then we have been supporting Sammy, the employees in her business and their families with fuel vouchers, because fuel is the key not only to transport and enabling business and freeing up resources but these vouchers can be traded for other vital goods such as food or medicine. It works via an organisation called Mukuru that organises the supply of goods and money in some countries in Africa. We buy the vouchers online and Sammy gets a code on her mobile that enables her to pick up the fuel at a petrol station in Harare. Since January 2008 we have been sending close to 2,000 litres of fuel and Sammy has been stressing that every litre of that has helped Mardon Plumbers to stay in business and support the families of the staff. We would like to continue this journey for as long as the situation is precarious. Here is an opportunity to read, comment and maybe join in.
Christoph
Christoph
Friday, 20 March 2009
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