S.O.A.P.
(Supporting Old Age Pensioners)
'Concerned citizens who hope to make a difference'.
Contact : Dave Gill, 3 Whitman Road, Malindela, Bulawayo, ZIMBABWE.
P. O. Box AC 646, ASCOT, BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE
m : 00 263 11 218 197 - t : 00 263 9 242486
e : scallywags@netconnect.co.zw
(Supporting Old Age Pensioners)
'Concerned citizens who hope to make a difference'.
Contact : Dave Gill, 3 Whitman Road, Malindela, Bulawayo, ZIMBABWE.
P. O. Box AC 646, ASCOT, BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE
m : 00 263 11 218 197 - t : 00 263 9 242486
e : scallywags@netconnect.co.zw
June 2007
During the early part of 2002 it was noticed by John Osborne auctioneers in Bulawayo that elderly people were bringing small items into the auction rooms for sale. After speaking to various people it was realized that these pensioners were unable, due to inflation, to make ends meet and had to sell their meager possessions to enable them to buy basic food.
Around April of 2002, two ladies, Pat Donzelli and Lyn Abbot formed the organization known as Supporting Old Age Pensioners or SOAP.
I received details via e-mail and asked parents at our nursery school if they would donate cash or goods. I first took donations in May 2002 and offered my services to Lyn should they be required. By that September I was delivering monthly food parcels to recipients, who, through no fault of their own, after saving and providing for their retirement now found that they were unable to buy even everyday basics.
In those early days 'my' delivery round took about 80 minutes to complete. Now, it covers around 50 miles and takes 5 hours. As time passed I became more involved and started to interview likely recipients for Lyn. Pat Donzelli moved to South Africa.
Lyn suffered from emphysema for years and at the end of June 2004, sadly passed away. Louise Campbell took over the office work and SOAP continued as before, although, it is fair to say we have been on a bit of a learning curve ever since!
In March 2005 we transferred the office work to Louise's own home at Whitestone Way and later our storage shed was also moved to her home. I myself am based at Whitman Road in Malindela. Louise works full time and I partially run the family business. Besides office work, Louise packs all the parcels herself which takes her 11 hours without a break (no mean feat) and also delivers to homes in Bulawayo north, I deliver to Bulawayo south. We have 3 helpers, Trish and Shirley deliver to Coronation Cottages and Martie covers Garden Park (both retirement homes). The key thing here is reliability, as we deliver EVERY second Wednesday of each and every month without fail, throughout the year. All of this is purely voluntary.
We are given names of possible recipients from the general public and once a month, usually a week before our delivery date, I call and interview each and every person whose name we have been given and each cased is assessed on its own merits. Occasionally an urgent case is found and we can usually get a food parcel delivered within a couple of hours. At the moment we are packing parcels for 172 individuals. This list increases by about 3 or 4 names monthly. We also offer any surplus perishable food to residential homes in Bulawayo.
Two years ago, there was an umbrella organization set up called the Bulawayo Help Network where we share information between ourselves and can call on other organizations to help with rents, medicines and medical. This has proved to be a blessing as we at SOAP often come across desperate medical cases too. Those that often need most assistance are Railway pensioners as the pension can be a pittance and their medical aid usually doesn't cover life saving drugs.
Interviewing can be an experience in itself. A couple of years ago I came across one couple whose staple diet was, believe or not, 'black jacks' (weeds) and figs growing in the garden. Our eldest recipient turned 97 last year, we had one lady who has now moved to SA she is receiving a government pension of just Z$7 a month. It is often the case that the people we support are old enough to have retired sons and daughters who are unable to help.
Due to the horrific inflation, which is around 3,700% year on year for April, it has become impossible for us to budget. Our monthly outgoings are now in the region of Z$200,000,000 monthly. We exist solely with the donations of cash and kind from mainly the public and businesses of Bulawayo. However, inflation is hitting everyone hard and our local donations are dwindling. Although we have funds to continue for some months we now have to look to for donors outside Zimbabwe. Without our help starvation is a real possibility for ‘our’ senior citizens. All donations received are used for groceries and NO deductions in any way are made for ANY expenses other than the PO Box number (Z$11,500 in January for the year). The occasional ink cartridge to print the lists and our SOAP e-mail address. Other costs such as phone calls are paid out of our own pockets.
It is only with help from people like YOU that we are able to continue our work.
During August 2006 a 'new' currency was introduced which in effect meant taking off 3 zero's from the then current unit. So $1,000 became $1 and a million became $1,000. Naturally this has had no effect on prices at all. It simply means that we are now carrying (for the moment) less bulky cash amounts.
Imagine, if you can, a person having retired in mid 1999 on a reasonable pension of say $5,000 a month;
WAS 1999 March 2007
Bread loaf $8 $3,500
Around April of 2002, two ladies, Pat Donzelli and Lyn Abbot formed the organization known as Supporting Old Age Pensioners or SOAP.
I received details via e-mail and asked parents at our nursery school if they would donate cash or goods. I first took donations in May 2002 and offered my services to Lyn should they be required. By that September I was delivering monthly food parcels to recipients, who, through no fault of their own, after saving and providing for their retirement now found that they were unable to buy even everyday basics.
In those early days 'my' delivery round took about 80 minutes to complete. Now, it covers around 50 miles and takes 5 hours. As time passed I became more involved and started to interview likely recipients for Lyn. Pat Donzelli moved to South Africa.
Lyn suffered from emphysema for years and at the end of June 2004, sadly passed away. Louise Campbell took over the office work and SOAP continued as before, although, it is fair to say we have been on a bit of a learning curve ever since!
In March 2005 we transferred the office work to Louise's own home at Whitestone Way and later our storage shed was also moved to her home. I myself am based at Whitman Road in Malindela. Louise works full time and I partially run the family business. Besides office work, Louise packs all the parcels herself which takes her 11 hours without a break (no mean feat) and also delivers to homes in Bulawayo north, I deliver to Bulawayo south. We have 3 helpers, Trish and Shirley deliver to Coronation Cottages and Martie covers Garden Park (both retirement homes). The key thing here is reliability, as we deliver EVERY second Wednesday of each and every month without fail, throughout the year. All of this is purely voluntary.
We are given names of possible recipients from the general public and once a month, usually a week before our delivery date, I call and interview each and every person whose name we have been given and each cased is assessed on its own merits. Occasionally an urgent case is found and we can usually get a food parcel delivered within a couple of hours. At the moment we are packing parcels for 172 individuals. This list increases by about 3 or 4 names monthly. We also offer any surplus perishable food to residential homes in Bulawayo.
Two years ago, there was an umbrella organization set up called the Bulawayo Help Network where we share information between ourselves and can call on other organizations to help with rents, medicines and medical. This has proved to be a blessing as we at SOAP often come across desperate medical cases too. Those that often need most assistance are Railway pensioners as the pension can be a pittance and their medical aid usually doesn't cover life saving drugs.
Interviewing can be an experience in itself. A couple of years ago I came across one couple whose staple diet was, believe or not, 'black jacks' (weeds) and figs growing in the garden. Our eldest recipient turned 97 last year, we had one lady who has now moved to SA she is receiving a government pension of just Z$7 a month. It is often the case that the people we support are old enough to have retired sons and daughters who are unable to help.
Due to the horrific inflation, which is around 3,700% year on year for April, it has become impossible for us to budget. Our monthly outgoings are now in the region of Z$200,000,000 monthly. We exist solely with the donations of cash and kind from mainly the public and businesses of Bulawayo. However, inflation is hitting everyone hard and our local donations are dwindling. Although we have funds to continue for some months we now have to look to for donors outside Zimbabwe. Without our help starvation is a real possibility for ‘our’ senior citizens. All donations received are used for groceries and NO deductions in any way are made for ANY expenses other than the PO Box number (Z$11,500 in January for the year). The occasional ink cartridge to print the lists and our SOAP e-mail address. Other costs such as phone calls are paid out of our own pockets.
It is only with help from people like YOU that we are able to continue our work.
During August 2006 a 'new' currency was introduced which in effect meant taking off 3 zero's from the then current unit. So $1,000 became $1 and a million became $1,000. Naturally this has had no effect on prices at all. It simply means that we are now carrying (for the moment) less bulky cash amounts.
Imagine, if you can, a person having retired in mid 1999 on a reasonable pension of say $5,000 a month;
WAS 1999 March 2007
Bread loaf $8 $3,500
Milk 500ml $8 $2,869
Electricity month $1,100 $12,000 (Est)
2ltrs Mazoe Orange $33 $13,350
1 litre coke $21 $3,000
Electricity month $1,100 $12,000 (Est)
2ltrs Mazoe Orange $33 $13,350
1 litre coke $21 $3,000
Local stamp $1:20c $200
500g butter $75:90c $17,500
Tin tuna $26:18 $24,150
100 Tea bags $30:81 $7,150
100 Tea bags $30:81 $7,150
Months 'phone rental $126:20 $500
500gms minced beef $40:75 $15,000
500 gms stew beef $42:50 $12,000
9 toilet rolls $58:88 $28,560
9 toilet rolls $58:88 $28,560
________________________________________
$1,602:42 $139,979,(000):00
In this time scale it is reasonable to assume the pension has now increased to around $700,000 or in fact $300 now that the three zeros have been removed. There are no typographical errors here; this is the reality of Zimbabwe today for our precious old folk.
Louise and myself are totally committed to SOAP and we are both determined that it will long continue.
We thank you on behalf of all our recipients for taking the time to read this letter.
Dave Gill & Louise Campbell – Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
UK SOAP representative : Patricia Williams patashnix@btinternet.com
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