Anna's story and LTLA's renewed focus

Anna is a 20-year-old high school graduate whose parents died three years ago. She serves as the “head of home” for her three younger sisters, and she has been leading, on a volunteer basis, the Life to Life Africa youth programs in Chinhoyi. Anna’s entrance exam test scores for university were excellent. She enjoys studying English and dreams of becoming a teacher. However, the need to support her sisters has prevented her from being able to pursue a university degree. When I talked with Anna about her future, she said that she hopes to attend university as soon as her sisters are finished with high school. Currently, though, the university in Chinhoyi does not offer a teacher’s program and, even more importantly, Anna doesn't have the money for tuition. Anna told me she is willing to wait 10 years until her youngest sister is finished with high school. Although she can’t take university classes right now, Anna is a reader and is taking full advantage of LTLA’s Lending Library – the only one of its kind in the city of 750,000+ residents!

Anna and her three sisters

This week, LTLA offered to formally employ Anna. She will continue receiving food each week through the LTLA distribution. Even with the food LTLA gives her, though, Anna said that she and her sisters often go to bed hungry. The salary LTLA pays her will change that and will also help Anna pay for her sisters’ school fees. Anna and her sisters receive free medical care from the LTLA clinic, and I am trying to convince Anna to have her family take daily vitamin/mineral tablets offered through LTLA. The protein content and the level of basic vitamins and minerals in the food is appallingly low.


As a result of LTLA’s successful efforts to help folks get back on their feet, LTLA wants to focus less on relief work (i.e., food distribution) and spend more time on development work. Anna’s story is an excellent example of this renewed focus. In one year, LTLA will see if it is possible to find a university for Anna to attend in addition to a family that could watch over Anna’s sisters and keep them in school while she studies in another city. Feeding people is essential to life and health, and LTLA will continue to meet those essential needs wherever possible. However, teaching people to read and helping young people like Anna obtain an education will allow people in Zimbabwe to provide not only for themselves but will also offer another resource to help others, potentially eliminating the need for our relief. Interestingly, Arthur's wife, Mildred, is Anna’s friend. LTLA is paying for Mildred to finish her high school degree, and Anna is tutoring Mildred in her English studies. Many of LTLA’s good works get "passed-on" to others because Zimbabweans often share with each other what they have and what they know.

The Fish Project Ladies

Core women of the Greenfield Fish Project. Each woman has started her own business and repaid the loan within four months.

The Fish Project Ladies. They really would like to start a chicken micro-economic project if capital investment was available.

Food distribution

Distribution of cabbage and ground maize

Possibility of new school building

LTLA may be able to collaborate in a new school project. Here is the site that is under consideration.

Another view of the site

Farm brick being made of mud at school site

More farm brick waiting to be fired

LTLA supported families

One of the families supported by LTLA

These 3 guys live with their grandmother. There are 15 kids who live with Grandma. In the back, you can see all the maize (more than a ton) that the guys hauled 5 miles by hand to the house.

Critical Care Center

Here are some of the children supported by LTLA through the Critical Care Center. These children are orphans who may be living with a relative. LTLA provides pre-school education and dietary nutrition.

Pre-school at the Critical Care Center