From Zimbabwe to Pennsylvania and back: Extending the blessing

Renee Gehman, Salfordreneegehman@gmail.comWhen Gwabalanda “Gwab” Mpofu counts his blessings, he also counts the ways he can help extend them to others. In Zimbabwe, where he worked as an auto mechanic, it was not uncommon for Gwab to buy two shirts on a shopping trip—one for him and one for someone else who needed it more.When he first came to the US with Mennonite Central Committee’s International Visitor Exchange Program (IVEP) in 2000, Gwab spent a good deal of time trying to honor the requests of friends back home to help them distribute resumes or obtain sponsorship to come to America for work or education. Now living with his wife Nobu in Schwenksville, Pa. and working as a network administrator for a global manufacturing company, Gwab is organizing a collection drive and the shipment of a large container of goods to Zimbabwe to be distributed in the villages of Lobengula and Nkulumane.In recent years, the situation in Zimbabwe has been bleak. The government has repatriated land from commercial farmers, and as a result, food production has dropped more than 80%. In a country where farming is the main source of income, this has meant utter devastation for theeconomy. Work is hard to come by, basic needs are not being met and there is little hope that conditions will soon improve.The items Gwab is collecting include: clothing (preferably for warmer weather, though coats are also welcome); household furnishings (shower stalls, kitchen sinks, bathtubs, doors, etc.); computers with Pentium III processors or higher; and bicycles.And at the top of the list, what Gwab calls “the big dream in this project,” is a tractor. Gwab has a friend in Zimbabwe who possesses over 500 acres of land, but nothing with which he can farm it. If this man had a tractor and other farming implements, he could farm the whole of the land and sell his produce locally at affordable costs. This would be a blessing beyond measure for the local community, especially since current food prices are soaring. Gwab’s goal is to acquire either a working used tractor or the money to purchase a new one. He also seeks cash donations to cover the $8,000 it costs to ship the container and also to cover other customs fees that will be determined after the collection is itemized.This will not be the first time Gwab is sending something to Zimbabwe; when he was studying computers at Herzing College in Montreal he sent a laptop for his pastor along with someone from the States who was attending the Mennonite World Conference in Zimbabwe that year. Later he sent a couple more computers for church use.Gwab hopes to ship the filled container by early May of this year, so that he can accompany it and help in the distribution of goods that would then arrive in August. This task will be carried out by Gwab and two pastors there—Albert Ndlovu in Lobengula and Notsen Ncube in Nkulumane. In the meantime, he has already enlisted the help of Perkiomenville Mennonite Church, where he and his wife attend, and Salford Mennonite Church, but the invitation to help is extended to all who are able and willing.If you would like to donate goods or money for the people of Zimbabwe, please note the following contact information: For donations of goods contact Gwab Mpofu at 610-389-8682. Cash donations will be handled by churches supporting this project: Charles Ness Perkiomenville Mennonite Church PO Box 59 Perkiomenville, PA 18074 215-234-4011 perkmc@juno.com.Joe Landis Salford Mennonite Church 480 Groff’s Mill Rd. Harleysville, PA 19438 mail@salfordmc.org.