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| Zimbabwe - December 2003 : <- journeys : Hlekweni : tree planting -> | ||||||
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Hlekweni Friends Rural Training Centre
Our main destination in Zimbabwe was Hlekweni, a Quaker training centre in Matabeleland founded in 1967.  Hlekweni has been training disadvantaged rural folk in technical skills - mainly bio-intensive farming and building/furniture construction - but is also now planning to offer training in life skills, for example small business management and conflict resolution. The centre has been struggling for the past few years, but the new co-ordinator, David Jobson, is a star, and has started moving things forwards. | ||
 above: some of the children of Hlekweni staff Samathonga School, also part of the Quaker foundation of Hlekweni, now has 281 primary pupils right: one of the beef herd, kept on the farm below: sights from around the grounds |
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  A night walk around Hlekweni's 1800 acre farm turned into a swim through mud, when the heavens opened. That didn't seem to dampen spirits though! 
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Proof that Granny did some washing up, and learning to make bread with John Schmid
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rescuing a frisbee from the roof, and a final game of volleyball
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Update: A year later, I spent a further month at Hlekweni (September 2004), setting up their new website, amongst other work. It was good to return, and understand this project better. It was also sad to understand more about the situation in Zimbabwe, and see how much things were - and still are - deteriorating. | ||
| Zimbabwe - December 2003 : <- journeys : Hlekweni : tree planting -> |
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