Lifestyle

The Link between the two Parishes may appear to be a little one-sided but we must take several things into consideration. Their lifestyle is vastly different from our own: and survival is their prime concern.

Water

They do not have running water but have to collect it from a borehole a few hundred metres or perhaps a few kilometres from their home, carrying 20 litres at a time on their heads.

They are subsistence farmers and too little or even too much rain during the rainy season can mean a real disaster to tbe community. If they cannot produce enough food during the growing season, then they will literally go hungry later on in the year. The fields are ploughed manually, or with a simple plough pulled by oxen or donkeys, and the crop seeds of maize, millet or sorghum sown by hand.

Effect of Rainfall & Drought

There are no hand-outs of any kind if they have failed to harvest enough crops through too much or too little rainfall. So they are more concerned about tending their crops than writing letters or reports to us. Drought during December and January can wither early sown crops and excess rain during February and March can mean that the crops will not ripen sufficiently. They are completely dependent on the right amount of rain and sunshine and at the right time.

Good Maize growing in     Withered Maize in a       a good season.                 drought year.

Other Problems

Other concerns will be the possibility of elephants invading their fields and destroying their crops overnight, and insects or disease infecting the maize with no chance of being able to spray against these pests.

Cooking

Cooking has to be done over an open fire, out in the open, or in a traditional round kitchen, made of clay, poles and grass. The wood for the fire has to be collected from the surrounding area. The main staple food is Sadza, which is made from Maize flour, known as Mealie Meal.