Zimbabwe
Hippo Valley Christian Mission
Greetings family and friends,
We would like to take a moment to tell you how God is moving in our lives. We are excited to be a part of a team going to Chiredzi, Zimbabwe in the fall. We will be gone two weeks ministering directly to the people of Zimbabwe, Africa. During the day, we plan on helping at a local orphanage where much of the children know first hand the devastation of AIDS. Later in the afternoon we will be running a week long Vacation Bible School at a local church. We expect to share the gospel of Christ with an audience of over 400 children.
We are looking forward to serving God and his people in this new way. We are writing you to not only share our joy but ask you to join in this endeavor. We know that without prayer support our team would not be able to accomplish what we intend to do. We are asking you to commit to praying for us before and during the trip. In addition to prayer support we are also raising financial support. This will cover airfare, food and materials. 
Again we are very excited about this trip and how God will tangibly use us to reach his people with his love. Will you please consider sharing this opportunity with us as the Lord leads you to pray/give? If you would like to be involved please contact us by email or leave a comment and we will get back to you shortly.
Thank you again for your time and support. We look forward to updating on how the Lord works before and during this trip.
Chiredzi, Zimbabwe
The name Zimbabwe derives from “Dzimba dza mabwe” meaning “great stone house” in the Shona language.
Population - 13,010,0001 (68th) July 2005 estimate
Official languages - English, Shona, Sindebele
Inflation
On June 21, 2007, the U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, Christopher Dell, told The Guardian newspaper that inflation could reach 1.5 million per cent (1,500,000%) by the end of the year
Food
Like many other Africans, a majority of Zimbabweans depend on a few staple foods. “Mealie meal” (cornmeal) is used to prepare bota, a porridge made by mixing the cornmeal with water to produce a thick paste. This is usually flavored with peanut butter, milk, butter, or, sometimes, jam.
AIDS and HIV
With around one fifth of its adult population living with HIV and an estimated 565 adults and children becoming infected every day (roughly one person every three minutes), Zimbabwe is experiencing one of the harshest AIDS epidemics in the world.
Life Expectancy
Average life expectancy for women, who are particularly affected by Zimbabwe’s AIDS epidemic, is
34 - the lowest anywhere in the world. Nine officials from the World Health Organization have admitted that since this figure is based on data collected two years ago, the real number may be as low as 30.10
The Orphans
Zimbabwe has a higher number of orphans, in proportion to its population, than any other country in the world, according to UNICEF. Most of these cases are a result of parents dying from AIDS.
http://www.avert.org/aids-zimbabwe.htm
