Love Skies Week

Bulawayo is known as The City of Kings and more colloquially as Blues and Skies. I gather these latter names refer to our prevailing weather conditions (fancy a visit?) The week before last was 'Love Skies week' organised by a small Zim-based NGO, Family Impact, as a week of community outreach with emphasis on fun and reaching out to those on the margins of society.

I was happy to get involved, especially as I'd heard conversations at the planning stage and was excited about the chance to hang out with all kinds of folk and demonstrate friendship and belief in the people and communities in my vicinity. Early on I had this (slightly bizarre) idea that I wanted to paint peoples nails. I'd done it before in Peckham and found it was such a lovely and easy way to bond, serve and chat to women. A bit of pampering one-to-one that expressed value and love in a tangible way.

So I went along with the intention of doing that and generally getting involved and reaching out. I found it was great.

These pictures are from two different projects I visited as part of Love Skies - a childrens' home, which was wonderfully warm and a homeless persons shelter which has around 70 residents and all live as part of a community.

To the left is a picture of Margaret, a resident at the shelter, who said it was an age since she'd had her nails done, and that it made for a great treat...

Interestingly, in a country where racial and tribal tensions are very deep, complex and real, although sometimes also very subtle, the homeless shelter was probably the most integrated community and example of co-habitation that I've seen in this country yet. Telling perhaps.

I found time spent at each was valuable. At both we ran activities like face-painting and games for the children and issues-based, interactive teaching for adults. This was as well as having time to hang out and chat.

Heartbreakingly, both centres said that they hardly ever receive visitors. In fact at the Home of Peace shelter the couple who run it asked me if I'd come back another time. It's a forgotton people in need of company and investment. I found listening to their stories fascinating and a little in terms of time and effort went a really long way. I have a feeling I'll visit that place again sometime...