April 22, 2004

Hello to all of you

I leave for the UK on Sunday morning. Return to Canada on May 02. Tendai to follow on May 12 as she has some things to do here first, including a memorial service for her uncle's son on May 05.

We plan to stay in Canada for 6 months before returning to Zim. My two final grants from Rotary have still not arrived so we have decided to return to Canada and wait until the funds are definately in Zim. This has been a most frustrating experience,

trying to get the funds here. Beyond belief.

I was out to Silozwe on Wednesday to say farewells and check on the project there where the villagers are building a huge cistern to store water and gravity feed it to their houses. I took lots of video. I was so happy and amazed to see the work parties making such an effort. I had delivered the cement a few weeks ago and they were making bricks. By hand. They mix the cement and sand by hand, pack it into a wooden tray that makes two bricks at a time and then air dry them. They have 24,000 to make so you can imagine the labour. Women, children and men all working their butts off. Then they have to pack them up a hill, about a kilometer walk and quite a rise to the site. Up there they were clearing the site, packing rocks for the base and

clearing all overhanging trees away. It was very hot and all of us were sweating like crazy. But the work goes on thanks to these wonderful people and the funds from Rotary Club of Comox. Now we need more funds to buy the PVC pipe to feed downhill to the villagers' homes. The result will be clean, safe water for these people.

I got my notice about the house I am in and have to move out so one more thing to do (on Saturday) before I leave. Tendai and I will look for a new place when we return. It means letting my yard man and maid go which is sad because they become part of your family and I will miss them.

Well, bye for now. See many of you when I return.

Love, Doug

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