Looking back at 2022

“We can achieve so much more when we work together.”

Peter Staines, VANA Ministries Executive Director

Across the globe, 2022 was a challenging year.

But for the children and families of Zimbabwe who faced extreme poverty and dire starvation, it was some of the hardest times they’ve ever had.

You, like us, may have gone through your own challenges and triumphs over the year.

But even since the global pandemic hit back in early 2020, our sense of normality is only just returning. The pandemic has made a lot of us reflect on what is important - what we need, what we desire, and what quite frankly we can do without.

One of the core basic needs for all humans is food and shelter.

Have you tried to go even 24 hours without food? With the convenience and access to food everywhere we go, most of us know when (and what) our next meal will be. We have the luxury of choosing what, and when we eat.

Thousands of children in Zimbabwe do not have this luxury. They don’t know when the next meal will come. Or if it will come.

That’s why VANA Ministries exists. We want to give orphaned and vulnerable children their God-given right to a future full of hope and possibility.

And being able to help these children each and every day of the year is only made possible thanks to our generous community of donors, like you.

On reflecting upon 2022, we wanted to share the amazing impact we have been able to make on communities in Zimbabwe together, all thanks to your support.

Peter Staines, our Executive Director said one of the things he’s particularly proud of is “the impact that we have been able to make on thousands of children and their families over the Christmas period through the distribution of Care Packages. Seeing the joy on their faces and knowing that we have made a difference in their lives is truly rewarding.”

He went on to say, “it is important to remember that we all have a part to play in making a difference in the world and making a meaningful impact. We can achieve so much more when we work together. Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our mission.”

In 2022, thanks to you:

• 50 families received winter clothes and blankets.

• 3750+ meals were prepared for school students every week - that’s more than 195,000 meals over the year!

• 220 children completed a year at school thanks to our Child Sponsor Program.

• 500 jars of peanut butter were provided to children to supplement their protein.

• Over 2000 food packages were distributed to children and their families.

• 1 water bore was built to provide water to a rural community in Mutoko.

Mutoko is a small town in the Mashonaland East province in Zimbabwe. The community’s water supply had been cut off and hundreds of families were struggling.

Thanks to you, VANA Ministries funded a water surveyor to assess the existing bore at the local primary school but sadly there was little water available. Fortunately, they found water on a neighbouring property - at the Baptist Church (our amazing project partner in Mukoto). So early this year we organised for a boring company to drill down, and we found plenty of water!

The beautiful part of this story is that the women of the village arrived early on the day of the boring and began singing and dancing. They continued all day in the hope of good news.

When the drillers found the water you can just picture it now - the pure joy and relief on these women’s faces as they continued to sing and dance into the afternoon in celebration.

The Baptist Church has since made the water available to the entire community, including the children from the local primary school.

This school, which is located in Mukoto about 100km northeast of Harare has over 750 students. Children were coming to school hungry every day as a result of Zimbabwe’s food crisis.

When you’re hungry, let alone starving, it affects your ability to focus, concentrate and learn. These children were in desperate need of getting regular, nutritional food.

For every school day for the last term of 2022, VANA Ministries has given each of these 750 students a meal of porridge and peanut butter.

The school has seen increased attendance and the children are happier and more focussed in class.

We were able to make such a large-scale impact in helping the people of the town of Mutoko thanks only to you.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you do for VANA Ministries and the communities of Zimbabwe. Your generosity and support have been instrumental in our ability to rescue children from the poverty cycle.

We can’t wait to see what 2023 brings and the hope that comes with a year of new beginnings!

Wanting to be a supporter of ours and keen to help? Amazing! If you’d like to learn more about what we do and how you can support our work, please get in touch with us here.