My appeal last month has had a very generous response and our finances are now in good order, for a little while. We still need to raise more money and make sure it comes in steadily so that we don’t have another occasion for panic. In my last letter, I offered various suggestions as to how you might donate or raise money: standing orders, baking cakes and so on. If you thought you might take up one of these and haven’t done perhaps now is the time to do so. In the meantime, I and my trustee colleagues will be looking for more, particularly from grant agencies. Say a prayer that they will respond well.

We are delighted also that Fr John Gribben is going to do another run for us. This will be on Saturday 12^th November and Fr John will cover 10kms; not bad for a 78-year-old. You can see more at https://mirfield.org.uk/news/fr-johns-sponsored-run-for-tariro-2022/ or the online donation page is https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/21289#!/DonationDetails.

You can also send cheques (made out to Tariro) to me. This is the kind of thing that those who don’t normally support Tariro may well do just because it is Fr John, so please don’t be shy to suggest it.

Next month three of the rural kids will start university. Munyaradzi  will be doing a Social Work degree; Memory will be doing industrial chemistry and Rejoice will do accounting. Then at the beginning of next year, two more will start in their chosen fields. That is two girls and three boys so there is a good balance of the sexes! Munyaradzi comes from a very poor home in Chipinge and was really motivated from the start of primary school to do well. He is a quiet, hardworking young man who became a prefect in his boarding school and really deserves this success.

Memory also comes from a very poor background in Shurugwi. She was one of the first sent to boarding school at Daramombe. She has certainly shown it was worth every dollar extra that was spent on that. There are still three girls – Priscilla, Rumbidzai and Nokutenda at Daramombe and a boy, Willard, so it is very much part of our life. Rejoice is also from Chipinge and Tariro has looked after her for years. She is quite a feisty young lady, and it has been lovely seeing her grow up.

On 2^nd September I shall set off to Zimbabwe to see all the youngsters for myself and, I hope, bring back more good news. Apart from the children themselves, I am going to visit the little agricultural project in the Honde to see if pigs and crops are doing as well as expected. Then I must visit Shearly Cripps Home to see what more needs to be done and consider whether we can afford it.

Our recent financial crisis has made it clearer to me that we need to develop the work in Zimbabwe in ways that will attract more grant money, and also become more self-sustaining. The Honde agriculture is an obvious place to start. Shearly Cripps Home has a lot of good land and could be self sustaining with more investment. Several of our young graduates, now married and making lives for themselves are getting involved in the work of Tariro. They are well placed to help their brothers and sisters see how best to make a way in Zimbabwean life.

So thank you for everything. I hope to be in touch in about a month’s time.

Nicolas Stebbing CR