March 2010 Newsletter
"Saving Zimbabwe" Book News
South Africa - Zimbabwe Release Date: April 10th
We are excited to share with all of you the new cover design for the 2nd Edition of Saving Zimbabwe. This will be the new cover for books sold in; Africa, UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The books will be on sale across South Africa starting on April 10th. We will let you know the UK release date as soon as we get it.
We would certainly appreciate your help in getting the word out to family & friends. In fact it would be very helpful if you would consider posting the cover on your Facebook page or any other media outlet you might have. Simply right click on the image and save it to your desktop. If that doesn't work, email us at mail(at)savingzimbabwe.com and we will send you the image. Thank you for your help! Word of mouth is still the most effective way of getting out the message of hope that Saving Zimbabwe brings to people. Please consider forwarding this newsletter on to people you think may be interested.
For those that are not familiar with this amazing story, you can read more about it by visiting the website: www.savingzimbabwe.com
If one looks at the current situation in Zimbabwe it can be disheartening. Remember, things always turn dark before they turn light again. Zimbabwe is going to rise from the ashes as God loves her people and will restore their beauty as He has a plan!
Back of the book blurb...
Saving Zimbabwe is the gripping story of a group of extraordinary black and white Zimbabweans who lived together forming The Community of Reconciliation. They chose love over hate and integration over segregation. They believed in harmony over discord and that loving your former enemies was a higher way of life. Against all odds they succeeded in transforming a region of the nation into a life-giving community. By example they demonstrated that the course of Zimbabwe could be changed, and provided a working model for the road ahead.
Tragically, on November 25th 1987, the sixteen white members of the Community made the ultimate sacrifice and were martyred. Their killers thought they were liberating their people but in fact drove the black community back under the oppressive forces of poverty. Why did they die? This book takes you on a journey to discover the answer to that haunting question and more.
With the current political and economic uncertainty in Zimbabwe, the message of Saving Zimbabwe is more relevant than ever. The country needs transformation which should start in the heart of her people. The destiny of a nation and millions of lives are at stake.
Booking Signing Dates
South Africa: Johannesburg
Date: April 22nd
Time: 6:00 PM -10:00 PM
Venue: The Pyramid
Location: 96 Eloff Street Ext. Village Deep, Selby, Johannesburg
www.pyramidvenue.co.za
Zimbabwe: Harare
Date: April 30th
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Totem Shumba
2001 Wayhill Lane West
Umwinsidale (past Glen Lorne)
Contact: Gloria Ndoro
Tel: 0912 236341
email: gloria.ndoro(at)yahoo.com
Zimbabwe: Bulawayo
Date: May 5th
Time: TBD
Location: TBD
Note: We will be updating details on our website
Perspectives: Bob's Blog
Some of you may not be aware that from time to time Bob posts entries to his blog. Typically when he's back at the home office in Kansas City with so much on his plate, he only posts entries a few times a month. When traveling though, he tends to post most everyday as so many interesting things seem to happen. During his trip to South Africa in Sept/Oct of 2009, every day there was something amazing that happened. Over the course of the trip, people subscribed to the blog and were able to follow along on his adventures. Bob will be doing the same thing this year as he & Elizabeth head over April 10th for South Africa. After the book signing/ media week April 19-23, Bob and friend Thabani Dube will head up to Zimbabwe for two weeks of meetings there. It will be the first time he's returned to the ruins of The Community of Reconciliation since 1987.
If you would like to be automatically notified of new posts, click on the blog link above and enter your email address in thesubscribe box.
There is also a new web community in South Africa called Christian Republic. www.christianrepublic.co.za. They too will be featuring some of Bob's blog posts.
Compassionate Hands - Medical Supplies for Zimbabwe
The latest news on our Compassionate Hands: Medical Supplies project, is that the supplies are currently on the high seas making their way to Durban, South Africa. From there they will head via rail to Zimbabwe until they reach their final destination near Harare. The estimated time of arrival is the 3rd week of March. Bob Scott and Thabani Dube will be following up on the supplies in late April and early May. They will be personally visiting the various organizations in both the northern and southern parts of the country who are scheduled to receive supplies.
Textbooks for Zimbabwe
If you read our last newsletter, then you will know that Bob and colleague Charles Lynn flew to New York In February to meet with Zimbabwe's Minister of Education David Coltart. David is tackling the very difficult task of trying to rebuild Zimbabwe's deteriorating education system. Once the pride of Africa with a 90% literacy rate, Zimbabwean's now find themselves with broken down schools, a dwindling population of teachers and one school book per thirty students! David has rolled up his sleeves and gone to work with limited resources fighting to make sure the current generation of children get an education. They are the future of Zimbabwe.
We at Compassionate Justice International understand the significance of what David is doing. Zimbabwe is a nation in transition. What will determine its future success is a population that is educated and trained in all aspects of the economic and political spectrum. Without it, Zimbabwe's children will descend into a world of crime and violence in an effort to survive. So much is at stake. How can we/you help?
We recently discovered a scenario in the US education system similar to the medical sector. Every year, hundreds of thousands of library and textbooks are packed up and shipped off to be ground up and recycled! When one thinks about the children of Zimbabwe sharing one book amongst thirty students, sending books to be ground up into pulp seems so wasteful.
CJI has decided to do something about it. We are now in the process of calling school districts and requesting that instead of recycling schoolbooks, how about donating them to a great cause and reusing them. The response level has been enthusiastic. Similar to what we discovered in the medical community, most educators had no idea that what they were throwing away was of value to someone else. When they realized that by donating these books, they could in fact help educate a child in Zimbabwe, they got very excited.
The US school year ends in May. We are now making preparations to begin picking up school books in June/July and hauling them to a warehouse where they will be sorted and repacked. We are currently looking for books for all ages and in the disciplines of; Math, Science, English, World History (no US) etc.
If you would like to help us with this project, consider calling the Textbook Coordinator in the the school district(s) in your area and inquire as what they do with their schoolbooks. Our goal is to fill another 40' shipping container and send to Zimbabwe by years end. If you have any questions call us at (913) 239-0042 or email us at mail(at)savingzimbabwe.com
Where can you find us:
Compassionate Justice International website: www.compassionatejustice.com
Saving Zimbabwe book website: www.savingzimbabwe.com
CJI Director Bob Scott's Blog: http://blog.compassionatejustice.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/compassionatejustice