This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Zimbabwe with Ryan Keith of Forgotten Voices.  The experience was overwhelming in so many ways, both good and bad - the total economic desolation, the desperate need of the people, a temptation to feel hopeless in the face of so many problems, but also the amazing beauty of the country, the wonderfully unhurried pace of interactions and conversations, and the tremendous generosity and hospitality of everyone we met.

The most memorable part of the trip by far, though, was the two days we spent with a 14 year old girl named Neatness and her family.  She lives in Mtshabezi, a rural area where the needs are among the greatest in the country.  She and seventeen relatives live together in a small collection of huts, near a Brethren in Christ Church mission which Forgotten Voices supports.  The mission provides schooling, medical care, and food assistance to thousands of people in the surrounding area, including Neatness and her family.

Three years ago, Neatness lost her father to AIDS.  Today, there are four others in her family who are infected - her mother, her grandfather, her uncle, and her eight year old brother.  Neatness has taken on many of the household responsibilities as a result, and takes care of her siblings, nephews and nieces, in addition to attending school at the mission.  If not for the help of Forgotten Voices, her family would not have been able to pay for school fees and supplies after her father’s death.  She would have been forced to drop out, effectively erasing any possibility of a better life.  Without an education, Neatness and children like her have few options other than scraping by on what food they can grow and any assistance they can find.

Thanks to the graciousness of the family in opening their home and their lives to us (and to Ryan’s very talented photographer friend Darren), we filmed a day in the life of Neatness, which starts before dawn and ends not long after sundown.  We also interviewed her, and she also told us her story.  You can see the video by clicking here.  As you will see, her cheerfulness, poise, and maturity in the face of so many difficulties are incredible.  I think what struck me most about Neatness, and the many other children we met, is that she is not looking for anyone to fly to her rescue and make everything better for her and her family, she just wants the opportunity to go to school, study hard, and find a job.  It broke my heart that these simple wishes feel like an impossible dream to countless Zimbabwean kids.

We all fell in love with Neatness, but we also know that she is one of thousands of equally remarkable children in the same situation or worse.  Right now, the Mtshabezi Mission is struggling to raise funds to keep 5,000 children in school for the coming term (starting in January) because fees have just been increased.  To make this possible, Forgotten Voices will need to raise $50,000 by December 15 - more than they’ve ever raised in such a short time.  We believe that God will provide, and that these kids will not have to drop out and lose sight of the better life they’ve been working so hard to attain.  If you’d like to help, you can do so at www.forgottenvoices.org, but in the meantime please get to know Neatness by watching her story, and please join us in praying for her, and a better future for Zimbabwe.