Working with Purpose - Hands at Work in Africa
Led by Stan Geddes, Equipment Manager, Asset Management, a dedicated group of 11 western Canadians travelled to Mutare, Zimbabwe this spring and made a world of difference for hundreds of children through Hands at Work in Africa.
"In a country with a precarious political situation and hundreds of thousands of orphans, there is much work to be done," says Geddes, who has returned to Africa every year since 2005. "With virtually no economy and international sanctions, items like food, medicine and the basics for survival are hard to come by."
Hands at Work in Africa, a non-profit organization with offices across the globe, relieves poverty by sharing knowledge, imparting skills and mentoring leaders and volunteers. They provide basic supplies, such as food, to persons in need and advance the education of students by providing tutoring and scholarship programs.
For two weeks, Stan and his team of Canadian volunteers - seven women and four men who used their holidays and paid their own expenses - helped with daily chores which consisted of building an open fire and cooking boiled maze and pumpkin leaves to provide a daily, single meal to 118 orphaned children. With funds raised by Calgarians, a second 'feeding centre' for an additional 100 children will soon be constructed.
"While our work was physically demanding, it was a tremendously rewarding experience," he says, of the ground clearing, planting and harvesting they completed. "We eventually saw straight rows of sprouting vegetables replace what was once an overgrown dump."
Graham donated hats and toques as a small gift to local volunteers, themselves unemployed, yet dedicated to caring for 10 orphaned children each. The Canadian volunteers visited homes of those too sick to make it to the feeding centre and provided basic medical assistance to locals unable to pay for or travel to a clinic.
"While our time there was limited, there's so much we can still do," he continues. "Graham employees can get involved by spreading the word, by supporting a child for $15 a month or by volunteering to help."
